President Paul Kagame is expected to arrive in Tanzania this afternoon for a two-day working visit during which he will meet with the country’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan. The two leaders will hold talks later in the day at the country’s state house. Kagame’s visit to Tanzania comes at a time when both countries share cordial relations in various sectors of cooperation. The ties are strongest in trade and investment with potential in multiple other avenues. For instance, Tanzania’s exports to Rwanda increased to $277.8 million in 2021, up from $60.1 million, while Rwanda’s exports to Tanzania $2.2 million up from $1.3 million in the same period. In August 2021, President Suluhu Hassan visited Rwanda, in a move that aimed at strengthening ties between the two neighboring countries. During her visit, she also witnessed the signing of different pacts. Rwanda uses the port of Dar es Salaam for much of her inbound and outbound cargo, (over 80 per cent) through what is commonly known as the Central Corridor. Ahead of the visit, Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT and Innovation in July led a delegation of public and private sector to Tanzania to engage in cooperation in the sector. Some of Rwanda’s submarine sea cables IT infrastructure are through the port of Dar es Salaam. The Rwanda Defence Force Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Jean-Bosco Kazura and Inspector General of Police CGP Dan Munyuza in the same year visited Tanzania where they held talks with their counterparts. The meeting ended with a commitment by both countries to cooperate closely on border control and crime prevention, information and intelligence sharing on terrorism and other transnational crimes. In 2018, the two countries agreed on joint construction of a Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Isaka (northwestern Tanzania) to Kigali, a move which will facilitate movement of goods between the two countries. Studies conducted by the East African Community (EAC) had shown that the Tanzanian railway route would cost Rwanda between US$800 and $900 million. Popular Tanzanian businesses operating in Rwanda include Azam Group, Bakhresa, Matelas Dodoma, among others, while Rwandan companies like Sulfo Rwanda, and Pharmalab, have set foot in Tanzania.
