In the context of the ongoing trade war between the world's economic giants and the gloomy picture of the prospects for world trade, it is only fitting that the Czech Republic should venture into new areas in Africa to compensate for any losses that may arise as a result of the ongoing war. Africa is gradually gaining global strategic and economic importance, and therefore cooperation with the African continent is an important step towards the Czech Republic and Europe in general taking advantage of its opportunities.
We should not forget that Africa, as Europe's neighbour, is becoming the first refuge for many Africans on the continent when certain problems arise, especially economic and security problems, and it brings challenges such as illegal immigration and even security problems. The Czech Republic's investments in Africa are not only a business opportunity and a source of profit for Czech companies, but also part of the European Union's overall efforts to promote development, improve people's lives and combat the negative forces in Africa that it is trying to enforce due to the lack of European influence.
We have recently witnessed that the Czech Republic has opened a new arena for cooperation with the East African country of Tanzania after the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tanzania, Ambassador Mahmoud Kombo, made a three-day visit to the Czech Republic, during which he emphasised Tanzania's readiness to expand cooperation with the Czech Republic in key sectors, including investment, trade, tourism infrastructure, health, education, tourism, and that Tanzania will create a favourable environment for Czech investment in Tanzania. In an interview with his host in Prague, Mr. Jan Lipavsky, Mr. Kombo said there are already successful examples such as the example of the Skyleader-600 aircraft manufacturing plant in the Morogoro region of central Tanzania, this following a visit by a delegation of senior Czech government officials in late 2021.
Planning and Investment Minister Kitila Kumbo pointed out some of the steps Tanzania is taking to improve the business and investment environment by amending some laws and removing unnecessary red tape as well as building industrial parks. The World Investment Report 2021 by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) showed that in 2020, Tanzania recorded foreign direct investment (FDI) totalling US$1.01 billion, up from US$991 million recorded in 2019.
Czech-Tanzanian cooperation is nothing new, cooperation between the two countries began in the 1960s and has evolved to where it is today, with all the changes that came after the fall of communism in both countries. Tanzanians are no strangers to Pilsner beer, which was probably the only popular foreign brand of locally produced beer before 1990, and they were passionate fans of the golden generation of Czech footballers. Before COVID-19 it was recorded that Tanzania was visited by about 6,000 Czech tourists a year.
(za)
