Tanzania’s 46th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF) officially opened Sunday, with 22 foreign countries participating.
Ashatu Kijaji, the minister of Investment, Industry and Trade, said the 46th DITF, which runs from June 28 through July 13, has attracted 180 foreign companies and 3,200 local firms displaying products, services and technologies used in the production of goods.
Kijaji said the theme of the 2022 trade fair — Tanzania — Your Best Destination for Business and Investment — was intended to attract businesses and investments from across the globe, pledging that Tanzania was ready to work with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) looking for markets for its products.
Liberata Mulamula, the minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, said Tanzania is well prepared for the AfCFTA market of 1.3 billion people and a combined gross domestic product of about 3.4 trillion U.S. dollars.
Opening the trade fair in Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital of Tanzania, Wamkele Mene, the AfCFTA secretary-general, said Tanzania has the potential to exploit the AfCFTA market with its investment reforms and infrastructure development.
Mene inspected some of the pavilions and was impressed by the products on display. He said the AfCFTA’s main objective was to reduce and eliminate barriers to investment and trade.
Africa still faced underdevelopment in terms of industrial capacity and output, said Mene, declaring that Africa’s second liberation was economic integration.
The DITF is an annual major promotional event that has established itself over years as a shop window for Tanzanian products as well as for the east, central and southern African region.
The fair exhibits agricultural products, food and beverages, textiles, garments, manufacturing equipment, building materials and automobiles. It is also a business platform for chemicals and cosmetics, timber and furniture, trade services, engineering products, machinery, information technology, handicrafts, consultancy and training.
