US firm in new TZ marketing frenzy

Tan Trade Authority Executive Director Jacqueline Maleko speaks in Dar es Salaam yesterday during the announcement of Branding Tanzania initiative products. Left is Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) executive director Godfrey Simbeye, ministry of Trade Business officer Andrew Shirima and Squire Patton Boggs senior project manager, David Dunn. PHOTO | VENANCE NESTORY 

By  Athuman Mtulya, The Citizen Reporter

In Summary

• The campaign aims at identifying national sector brands, measure their strengths and weaknesses and eventually develop a comprehensive marketing campaign that would shape the country’s international image

Dar es Salaam.Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TanTrade) in collaboration with Washington-based international legal firm, Squire Patton Boggs, yesterday announced a joint initiative to “Branding Tanzania.”

The campaign aims at identifying national sector brands, measure their strengths and weaknesses and eventually develop a comprehensive marketing campaign that would shape the country’s international image to attract investors, tourists and traders.

The programme agreement that is yet to be signed would also provide the legal and governance framework for Tan Trade and the government of Tanzania to manage and introduce the newly created brand to the domestic and international market place.

The director general of Tan Trade Ms Jacqueline Maleko, said it was important for the country to undertake the process so as to capture the global market. “Through branding Ethiopian coffee is selling ten times higher than Tanzania’s. It is high time now to identify and protect our products to add their value and gain more profit,” she said.

A senior partner at Squire Patton Boggs Mr David Dunn said the Tanzania government came to the realisation that in order to help its farmers and exporters, increase their bargaining power and scope of their trade in the international market, branding the country and its products was inevitable. 

According to Dunn the first process in the initiative involves analyzing the country’s legal framework, then analyse each country that Tanzania wants to export to and ask them for their commitment to see products branded with made in Tanzania logo protected.

“After that we will create specific logos for each commodity group, from tourism agriculture and minerals.