TANZANIA and Ethiopia have agreed to widen cooperation in 14 major areas that aim to boost development and strengthen diplomatic relations between the two countries.
President John Magufuli revealed
yesterday, during a joint press briefing at the State House’s Jakaya
Kikwete Hall, that after a successful closed door meeting between him
and the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, the two
countries agreed to work together in different sectors for ...
the mutual
benefit of the people in the two countries.
At a joint press briefing, the two
leaders agreed to extend cooperation in the sectors of aviation,
industries, agriculture, telecommunication, mining, education and
energy.
They also agreed on VISA exemptions,
cargo transportation via the Dar es Salaam Port, taxation, sports,
promoting Kiswahili language, efficient use of the Nile River as well as
cooperation between the army in both countries.
The two leaders also witnessed the
signing of two agreements on Strategic Partnership and an agreement on
establishment of a joint ministerial commission as well as a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of tourism.
On Strategic Partnership, the two
countries agreed to work together on the fight against illegal
immigrants as well as extending cooperation on trade, investment and
health especially in the fight against malaria. The MoU on tourism aims
at providing opportunity for investment and training to stakeholders in
the tourism sector.
Mr Desalegn said the landmark agreements
between the two countries will help in lifting the people in the two
countries from poverty. “If we help each family in Ethiopia and Tanzania
to have 100 US dollars, we are likely to generate billions of dollars
in our countries, he insisted. The Ethiopian leader underscored the need
to invest in agriculture insisting on close ties between the two
countries.
“On the agricultural transformation
agenda, we have a good example of Tanzania which is doing quite well; so
if we work together, I believe we shall prosper and help our people to
get out of poverty,’’ he insisted. According to Dr Magufuli, the
Ethiopian Prime Minister agreed during their meeting to strengthen
cooperation between Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) and Ethiopian
Airline on issues of trade.
Dr Magufuli added that the Ethiopian
airline will establish a cargo hub in Dar es Salaam for transferring
consignments and that it will be the largest hub in Africa.
“The Ethiopian airline has big aircrafts
and several destinations worldwide and in Tanzania it has three
destinations - Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro,’’ he added.
The cooperation, Dr Magufuli said, will
help in training and aircraft maintenance and expressed optimism that
the two leaders believe it will be possible through the experts from
both countries.
Dr Magufuli added that because Ethiopia
is a landlocked country, in their meeting, the two leaders agreed that
Ethiopia use the port of Dar es Salaam in the transfer of cargo.
On industries, Dr Magufuli said Tanzania
will borrow a leaf from the successful Ethiopian leather industries
that have so far helped in boosting its development. In regard to the
Nile River, the two leaders agreed that all countries where the river
passes through should benefit from it and came into an agreement that no
one should monopolise it.
Again, Dr Magufuli said because Ethiopia
had succeeded in the construction of special dams from the Nile waters,
the Ethiopian Prime Minister agreed to send a team of experts who will
help Tanzania to have the same projects so that electricity tariffs can
go down.
In what appears to be a sign of stronger
diplomatic ties between the two countries, Dr Magufuli revealed that
the two leaders had agreed to have VISA exemptions between the two
countries.
He welcomed Ethiopian investors to
invest in Tanzania after scraping the VISA complications. Again, he
said, “The Ethiopian Prime Minister has agreed to establish an embassy
in the designated capital of Dodoma and I have promised to offer him a
piece of land for office establishment,’’ he said.
On education, the two leaders agreed to
have an exchange programme whereas Mr Desalegn said he will choose one
university in his country that will be teaching Kiswahili language as Dr
Magufuli promised to offer him lecturers in the quest to promote the
language.
Mr Desalegn arrived in the country
yesterday for a two-day state visit. His visit is in response to last
month’s invitation by President Magufuli to the Ethiopian leader. He was
received by Dr Magufuli at Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA),
where he received a 21-gun salute from members of the military before
inspecting a guard of honour.
He was later entertained by groups of
traditional dancers. In the evening he was welcomed by his host to a
State Banquet prepared in his honour by Dr Magufuli. The Ethiopian Prime
Minister is expected to visit the Port of Dar es Salaam today morning,
before departing for Addis Ababa, later.
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