Nigeria to boost economic relations with Tanzania, says Buhari

Nigeria is ready to boost economic ties with Tanzania for the benefit of citizens of both countries, President Muhammadu Buhari has said.

Buhari made the pledge when he received the Letter of Credence from the High Commissioner of Tanzania to Nigeria, Muhidin Moweto, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday.

He said both countries had a lot of potentials which could make them key economic actors in the region.

The President congratulated the Government of Tanzania for the recent discovery of gas reserves in the coast region, noting that it offered a lot of opportunities for the country.

“Nigeria and Tanzania have a lot of potentials. We will do our best to improve relations, which dates back to the pre-colonial era,” he said.

Earlier, the Tanzanian High Commissioner underscored the presence and positive roles of Nigerian firms in his country, particularly in the manufacturing and banking sectors.

He said: “My primary objective is to strengthen and enhance existing relations of both nations and to take our economic ties to a new height.

“We need more Dangote’s (companies) in Tanzania to help in developing the country.”

The Tanzania envoy conveyed the appreciation of the President of Zanzibar, which is a semi-autonomous region within Tanzania, to President Buhari for the deployment of 41 Nigerians teachers in the region under the Technical Aid Corps (TAC) programme of Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Moweto, who noted that the teachers were doing `very well’, appealed for the deployment of more Nigerian teachers to Tanzania.

President Buhari, who also received the Letter of Credence from the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Nigeria, Lee In-Tae, commended the Korean Government for its education development programmes in the country through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

In his remarks, the Korean Ambassador praised Nigeria’s new economic plans encapsulated under Economic Growth and Recovery Plan, which among others targets seven per cent GDP growth rate in Nigeria by 2020.