By Winnie Kamau
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Aliko Dangote one of Africa’s richest Business Mogul applauded Tanzania’s President H.E.Samia Suluhu Hassan on the new business environment. Dangote was speaking after a courtesy call with the new Tanzania Government where he urged businessmen to continue investing in the country.
“Dangote Industries would like to congratulate her with the swift changes she is doing here in Tanzania” said Dangote during a brief interview with the press after the visit.
According to the Business Mogul, the Dangote Industries have invested a 770 million USD cement factory in the south eastern coastal region of Mtwara and currently described as Africa’s richest man at a net worth of USD 11.7 billion and ranked 183rd richest man in the world.
Dangote held talks with the President at State House in Dar es Salaam as the President assured the Business delegation that they endeavour to protect Dangote’s investments as well as investments made by other investors in order to have beneficial relationship for both all parties.
The President expressed appreciation for the Nigerian billionaire’s investment made in the country and ordered two Ministers in attendance, the Minister for Investment Geoffrey Mwambe and the Minister for Industries and Trade Prof. Kitila Mkumbo, to look for solutions to problems the Dangote cement factory in Mtwara may be facing.
“We will continue to invest in Tanzania in order to create employment, to increase the national income and to raise the welfare of the people of Tanzania,” Dangote said after talks. “I think [the President] needs support in this and we have promised that we will continue to invest on a large scale in Tanzania in order to support what she is doing. We will create employment.”
In 2016 Dangote had complained the Government had not quite kept its word on some foreign investor benefits promised.
President Samia said Dangote’s manufacturing plant should be operational in order for it to generate the intended benefits. After the talks, the Nigerian entrepreneur expressed support and appreciation of the President ’s effort to improve the business environment.
“We are looking at other areas maybe fertilizer and other investment opportunities in Tanzania. The business environment has changed and things have opened up” said the Chairman of Dangote Industries.
President Suluhu recently promised solutions to problems investors face in Tanzania–problems which include Government bureaucracy, difficulties to obtain work permits and a hostile taxation environment.
She made the promise at State House in Dodoma when talking to leaders of the Chinese Business Chamber of Tanzania, a Tanzania-based organization comprising of Chinese businesses which operate in the country.
Dangote said because of the changes and improved business environment in the country he is to himself into Tanzania’s investment ambassador in order to encourage other investors and business people to bring capital into Tanzania because the Government here is now ready to partner with investors.
The environment is now conducive to investment, he observed, expressing interest to bring additional investment in areas other than cement manufacturing in order to help create jobs here.
