Sultanate of Oman and Tanzania..a new page of relations added to a long history of commercial and cultural relations

Ashraf AboArafe 

 The expected meeting, tomorrow (Sunday) between Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, Sultan of Oman, and President Samia Suluho Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, at Al Alam Palace in Muscat, will inaugurate a new page in strengthening the Omani-Tanzanian relations, especially in the economic aspects.

 The Sultanate of Oman and the United Republic of Tanzania built their distinguished relations over the various events in the Indian Ocean thousands of years ago on the basis of cultural history and mutual trade exchange.

 Statistics of trade exchange between the Sultanate of Oman and the United Republic of Tanzania show that the trade balance in 2021 was in favor of the Sultanate of Oman, reaching 30 million and 600 thousand Omani riyals.

 The National Center for Statistics and Information indicates that the volume of Omani exports to Tanzania in 2021 amounted to about 40.1 million Omani riyals, and the most important commodities exported to Tanzania were plastic industries, oil derivatives, electrical and household materials, and some foodstuffs.

 The volume of Omani imports from Tanzania amounted to about 9 million and 500 thousand Omani riyals, and they were represented in a number of commodities, including foodstuffs and meat.

 The establishment of the Omani-Tanzanian Businessmen Council in 2012 contributed to strengthening economic relations between the two friendly countries, followed by the signing of an agreement in March 2013 for mutual protection and encouragement of investments supported by an agreement signed in February 1992 to avoid double taxation on income arising from air transport activity.

 The Oman Investment Authority is playing a tangible role in investing in East Africa in general after opening an office in February 2015 in Tanzania, achieving more investment prospects in the United Republic of Tanzania, including investment in the Mangopwani port in Zanzibar, whose procedural stages have been completed to move to implementation in addition to the rehabilitation and development of the port Malindi and its neighboring areas, where the memorandum of understanding was signed, and the joint working group began preparing an economic feasibility study and drawing up its plan to provide several services, including a terminal for cruises, ferries, and entertainment facilities.

 The two friendly countries also signed a memorandum of understanding last May in the field of marine exploration and fishing, in addition to investing in a fish farm in Zanzibar, which has a production capacity for the first phase of 1,000 tons per year, and in the second phase at a rate of 3,000 tons per year, and the third phase of 6000 tons per year for a period of 20 years.

 This June, a memorandum of understanding was signed, represented by Asyad Group and Tanzania Post, in the field of e-commerce services and logistical solutions, and it is hoped that it will contribute to raising the volume of e-commerce activities between the two countries and online shopping from African markets and receiving purchases directly in the Sultanate of Oman.

 The Omran Group, owned by the Oman Investment Authority, is holding talks to benefit from its tourism experience in developing and managing historical monuments in Tanzania.

The visit of a delegation of Tanzanian businessmen to the Sultanate of Oman last February contributed to introducing them to the investment opportunities available in the fields of industry, agriculture, fisheries, mining, logistics, tourism, health, education, renewable energy, information technology and the Sultanate of Oman’s infrastructure, ports and free zones. And logistical and legislation to support the fields of investment and trade, including a tax exemption of up to 5 years, extendable to 10 years, and tax exemptions on equipment for establishing and expanding industrial projects and on production inputs.

 The two friendly countries have good relations at the political level, as they hold annual sessions of talks, the last of which was last March in Tanzania, during which their support for dialogue and peaceful means in resolving issues and conflicts in order to stabilize and sustain international peace and security was emphasized, in addition to their exchange of views on a number of regional and international issues. of common interest.

 The participation of the Sultanate of Oman and the United Republic of Tanzania in its celebrations last year of the sixtieth anniversary of its independence confirms the depth of the historical relations between them and indicates a firm desire to develop bilateral cooperation between them.

 In view of the historical and cultural ties between the two friendly countries, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding in 2012 in the field of documents and archives, according to which copies of documents, archives and a list of archival assets were exchanged.

 Moreover, the initiative of the Sultanate of Oman to restore the “House of Wonders” building confirms the strength of the stable historical relations between the two friendly countries. The Sultanate of Oman has worked hard to document various historical events in visual, audio and documentary programmes, in addition to scientific studies and literary writings, such as this documentation “Carnation”, which is A historical series that deals with the era of Zanzibar during the Omani Empire during the reign of Sayyid Saeed bin Sultan Al Busaidi, and “The Tale of Zanzibar Houses,” a film that simulates the Omani human lifestyles in Zanzibar and attempts to highlight the growth of architecture in it, and “From the Coasts,” which talks about the Omani presence In Africa, especially Zanzibar, and the documentary program “The Impact of the Omani Presence in East Africa” deals with Omani history and civilization in East Africa and monitors its impact in the Republics of Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi, Comoros and Uganda.

 Undoubtedly, the wise leaderships of the two friendly countries are looking forward, through this visit, to strengthening areas of joint cooperation towards broader horizons.