Monday, 21^st March 2022, Arusha, Tanzania: – The Chairman, Board of Directors, Management and Members of the East African Business Council (EABC), the apex body of the private sector in the EAC region, congratulate H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan for marking one year in office as the President of the United Republic of Tanzania and Member of the East African Community Heads of State Summit.

The East African Business Community applauds H.E. President Samia Suluhu for championing public-private dialogue, business reforms and improving trade and investment ties. Under the strong leadership of H.E. President Samia Suluhu, the EAC region as witnessed the elimination of Non-Tariff Barriers, better-coordinated approach COVID-19 policies, ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA), World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement and the EAC Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Protocol by the United Republic of Tanzania.

According to the Bank of Tanzania’s 2020/2021 Annual Report, in 2020 Tanzania recorded a trade surplus of USD.484.5 million to the East African Community. Tanzania exported goods worth USD.811.2 million to the EAC region in 2020, up from USD.678.5 million in the previous year, while imports from the bloc declined slightly from USD.334.7 million to USD.326.7 million.

H.E. President Samia Suluhu has also transformed the agricultural sector and empowered youth and women in business.

The East African Business Council is dedicated to partnering with the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania to boost intra-EAC trade, industrialization, investments and job creation, under H.E. President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s great leadership.

Going forward, ratification of the EAC Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation, abolishing work permit fee requirements for East Africans and joining One Network Area for Telecommunication and EAC Single Tourist Visa are among the priorities East African businesses are eager to see implemented by Tanzania in order to ease doing business and build forward better Tanzania’s economic resilience and recovery.