Tanzania, Uganda keen to link with Malaysia

Patricia Mhondo, the investment promotion manager of the Tanzania Investment Centre, said more than 160,000 hectares suitable for oil palm and jatropha production have already been identified.

Jatropha is a plant that grows in wastelands from which the jatropha vegetable oil is produced and which could be used as biofuel.

"We chose Malaysia as it is the second largest crude palm oil producer in the world," she told Bernama after the seminar on 'Business Opportunities in Tanzania and Uganda' in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

The seminar was organised by the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM).

She said that only 6% of the cultivated land in Tanzania was under palm oil, which was why Dar es Salaam was looking for Malaysian expertise in palm oil to increase palm oil cultivation.

Tanzania has reportedly created a National Biofuels Task Force to promote the sector, according to a statement handed to the media at the function.

Mhondo said investment opportunities were also abound in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, tourism, infrastructure such as roads, seaports and airports, health, power, education and information and communications technology.

ACCCIM secretary-general, Tan Sri Soong Siew Hoong, who opened the seminar, said the chamber would help organise a trade and investment mission to Tanzania for two days from 29 November and Uganda from 3 - 4 December.

The move would help raise trade and investment between Malaysia and the east African states as well as help transfer niche technologies needed in Tanzania and Uganda.

Issa Mukasa, the director of the Investment Promotion Division from the Uganda Investment Authority, said Malaysian businesses should explore opportunities in Uganda as it is a gateway to the wider regional market.

Besides its population of 31 million, Uganda is also a member of the East African Community which also comprises Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi.

They have a combined population of 115 million, said Mukasa.

He also said Malaysian companies were involved in areas such as furniture, electronics, edible oils production and palm oil plantations.

There was also interest from Malaysian firms for opportunities in construction, establishing palm oil refineries and manufacturing knocked-down furniture in Uganda.

"We are at the heart of Africa from where you can access regional markets very easily," said Musaka.

Uganda also offers attractive investment incentives such as enabling investors to bring in plant and machinery into the country duty-free.

South Africa also has co-operative ties with Malaysia and in March hosted a team of consultants and technical engineers from the East Asian state to discuss working together on housing, water supply and tourism among other things.

The delegation visited several municipalities where were briefed on various programmes and projects.

During her visit to Malaysia last October, Limpopo MEC for Local Government and Housing Maite Nkoana-Mashabane extended an invitation to experts in areas like building construction and infrastructure development to visit the province.

Other South Africa and Malaysian partnerships have included a student exchange programme.

Ten previously disadvantaged students were able to travel to Malaysia to study engineering, information technology and information systems.

The programme was started in 1999 to address and close the scarce skills gap currently experienced in South Africa.

Article published courtesy of BuaNews