HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc voiced his hope for stronger trade and investment ties between Việt Nam and Tanzania while receiving two ministers from the African country in Hà Nội yesterday.

Talking to Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment Charles Mwijage and Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Charles Tizeba, Phúc lauded Tanzania’s maintenance of an average economic growth rate of over 6 per cent during the past decade and hoped that the country will successfully realise the targets set in its Vision 2025. 

He thanked Tanzania for supporting Việt Nam’s struggle for national liberation in the past and facilitating investment and business activities of Vietnamese firms, including Halotel – a joint venture of Việt Nam’s military-run telecommunications group Viettel with Tanzania. 

Minister Mwijage said the two countries’ co-operation is developing strongly as seen in economic ties and business-to-business partnerships. 

He highly valued Việt Nam’s expansion of cooperation with African nations, including Tanzania – one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, over the last decade thanks to strong economic reforms. 

He called on Vietnamese enterprises to invest in apparel, footwear, vegetable, plant oil and cement production in his country’s economic and industrial zones. 

Congratulating Tanzania on its economic achievements, PM Phúc promised the Vietnamese Government will provide businesses with information about export processing and special economic zones in Tanzania so that they can consider investment in agricultural and aquatic product processing, and electronic products, consumer goods, garment and footwear there. 

Việt Nam is ready to supply goods of high quality and at competitive prices for Tanzania to meet demand, he noted. 

To fuel bilateral trade and investment relations, he asked both sides to soon conclude negotiations for the signing of a double-taxation avoidance agreement and another on investment encouragement and protection. 

The PM asked the African nation to facilitate the licensing of Vietnamese workers at Halotel while ensuring security and protecting assets of Vietnamese firms in the country. 

Vietnamese and Tanzanian businesses should also boost connectivity and trade activities to raise bilateral trade to US$1 billion in the near future, he added. — VNS