With 700-person delegation of mostly businesspeople from the world's number one economy, expectations are high among the Tanzanian public that serious business deals will be inked for long lasting partnerships.
President Obama and his host Tanzania's Jakaya Kikwete have just confirmed their respective political will to cement and sustain the relations between the two countries.
Tanzania is endowed with immense forestry, mineral, fishery and agricultural resources, just to mention but a few, that yearn for tapping. Washington has already announced a 7 billion US dollar initiative to help tackle Africa's crippling electrical power, with Dar es Salaam well placed to get a considerable share of the resources under the initiative.
President Obama is this morning scheduled to visit an independent power plant run by the US-based Symbion. The inclusion of 700 businesspeople and the launch of Trade Africa last night speak volume of how serious the Americans are towards working with Africa, Tanzania in particular, economically.
Our belief is that Obama's visit has done a lot and far reaching marketing, elevating the profile of Tanzania globally. And with well articulated strategies, the country should soon start seeing an influx of visitors as tourists and prospective investors, not necessarily from the US.
While we commend the personal initiatives by President Kikwete for the job well done to cement diplomatic relations with the world leading economies--America, China, Japan... , we also think that this is the ripe time for the private sector in the country to seize the emerging opportunities.
Yes, business impediments erratic power supply, poor transport infrastructure, limited technology and unskilled labour still persist but that should never be excuse for sitting idle and complaining.
But complaints alone, without daring and taking initiatives, albeit under difficulties, would hardly take Tanzania to where it wants to be economically. It's time for local entrepreneurs to aggressively grab the opportunities and exploit them maximally. - Tanzania Daily News