PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has declared that the honorary doctorate award by Ankara University provides a renewed impetus in her efforts to work for the people of Tanzania, its economic transformation and shared prosperity on a wider scale.

In her remarks after the doctorate award yesterday, she was generous in appreciation for the Senate of Ankara University for their decision to confer her with the doctorate citation in Economics.

“I am humbled and honoured to be recognised by this prestigious university which is considered globally as top tier,” she said, accepting the honour in the pace of hardworking men and women in Tanzania “as I am only their leader and doing all what I do on their behalf.”

She appealed for more intensive trade and investment forums between Tanzania and Turkey to foster meaningful dialogues, exchange of ideas and impactful collaboration.

She emphasized the government’s commitment to enhancing diplomatic ties and collaboration with Turkey, noting that Tanzania and Turkey have witnessed increased trade volumes from $60m in 2011/2012 to $300m in 2022/23.

 “Having assumed the presidency of Tanzania in 2021, I had to face the economic realities on the ground and by then we had effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and later on economic shocks from the war in Ukraine in 2022. Just like other countries we took measures to mitigate global shocks to our economy, she explained.

She said the government implemented robust monetary policies to ensure price stability, stimulate growth and create financial sector stability, greatly helping to control inflation.

Foreign direct investments (FDIs) were promoted more effectively by addressing shortcomings that the business community and other stakeholders were raising, thus the government worked to reform the business environment, she explained.

As a result, in the year ending December 2023 Tanzania had registered a total of 526 new large investment projects worth $5.6bn, a 58 percent increase from what was registered in the preceding year. This signals sustained confidence in Tanzania’s growth trajectory, she stated.

The visiting leader and host President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will today witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Air Tanzania Co. Ltd (ATCL) and Turkish Airlines to facilitate growth of the travel and tourism industries.

 “We also see opportunities in the creative industry and that it is our vision, to see enhanced collaborations and partnerships between our film industries as a way to not only foster people to people relations but also create more opportunities for the youth in Tanzania,” the president underlined.

She said that for the past three years, Tanzania has experienced a productivity rise in key economic sectors like agriculture, mining and tourism, as key contributors to the gross domestic product (GDP) and foreign exchange earnings.

“As a member of G-20, Africa looks at Turkey’s support for our continent's concerns including addressing the challenges, reforms of the global financial architecture and ensuring sustainable development finance to address equality and injustice,” she added.