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Tanzanian business team to discuss rejoining COMESA
2007-12-12 09:51:03
By Perege Gumbo
A delegation of highly placed members of the Tanzanian business community is in Lusaka, among other things to discuss the possibility of the country rejoining the Common Market for East and Southern African (COMESA).
The Zambian capital is the headquarters of the regional trading bloc, to which Tanzania once belonged.
The move follows a series of abortive attempts by Tanzania`s business fraternity, particularly exporters, to persuade the government to rejoin the bloc to avoid what they see as a continued loss of essential markets.
Aloys Mwamanga, recently elected President of the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA), confirmed in Dar es Salaam yesterday that one of the objectives of the Lusaka trip was to explore the possibility of Tanzania rejoining COMESA.
``The government has been reluctant to rejoin the bloc. In our view, it is for unjustifiable reasons because the Tanzanian business community has undeniably been losing business as a result of the government`s decision to pull out of the bloc,`` he said.
The delegation, which was scheduled to be in Lusaka for two days beginning yesterday, comprises members from institutions like TCCIA, the Confederation of Tanzania Industries, and the Tanzania Private Sector Foundation.
During the third-phase Benjamin Mkapa presidency, from late 1995 to late 2005, the country’s business community submitted a package of proposals to the government. It said rejoining COMESA would be for the good of Tanzania`s economy and prosperity, but the government was not impressed.
Immediately after Tanzania pulled out of the bloc, many export companies and other big enterprises in the country stopped exporting to markets in the bloc because they could not withstand competition from similar but duty-free products from COMESA member States.
Tanzania’s export to COMESA had risen by 103 per cent in 2000, earning the country some $73 million. The figure had jumped to $148 million by 2004.
TPSF has undertaken a comprehensive study on the COMESA issue and presented a report to the government for consideration.
It is believed that it is the results of the study that may have influenced the government to reconsider its earlier decision, resulting in the business community`s present initiative of negotiating Tanzania`s re-entry into the bloc.
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