UK–Tanzania Trade Roadshow in Arusha highlights expanding export opportunities and £1 billion ambition

By:  Kanto Kai Okanta

The recent UK–Tanzania Trade Roadshow held in Arusha has underscored growing commercial opportunities for Tanzanian exporters and a deepening of bilateral trade relations between Tanzania and the United Kingdom.

The event, hosted by the British High Commission in Tanzania in partnership with the UK–Tanzania Green Growth Facility, convened exporters, trade specialists, certification experts, government officials, and private sector stakeholders. Discussions focused on how Tanzanian businesses can better position themselves to access the UK market under the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), a framework designed to enhance market entry conditions for eligible developing economies.

A central theme of the roadshow was the strengthening alignment between policy support, private sector readiness, and institutional coordination. Participants highlighted that while demand in the UK market continues to rise, Tanzania’s export capacity is also expanding, supported by targeted interventions and improved commercial linkages.

Key initiatives presented during the engagement included the Horticulture Export Accelerator Programme, implemented by the Tanzania Horticultural Association with support from the UK–Tanzania Green Growth Facility, as well as the Tanzania Coffee Hub-UK initiative. These programmes are designed to enhance value chain efficiency, improve compliance with international standards, and strengthen market connectivity for Tanzanian producers.

Additional developments referenced during the roadshow included emerging financing partnerships, expanded commercial networks, and progress toward improved air connectivity between Tanzania and the United Kingdom, including plans for direct flights aimed at reducing logistical barriers for exporters.

Tanzania’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Mbelwa Kairuki, delivered a key address emphasizing that the conditions for sustained export growth are increasingly in place. He noted that demand in the UK market is rising, Tanzanian export capacity is improving, and trade facilitation measures under the DCTS are easing market access. He also highlighted growing coordination between government institutions, private sector actors, and industry associations as a critical driver of progress.

In his closing remarks, Kairuki outlined an ambitious but achievable national export target, calling for stronger collective action across stakeholders.

“The demand exists, the opportunities exist. What remains is for us to move with greater coordination, speed, and determination. Let us work together—government, private sector, producers, exporters, financial institutions, and development partners—to reach our shared objective of increasing Tanzania's exports to the United Kingdom to £1 billion by the year 2030. That ambition is achievable.”

The roadshow concluded with renewed commitments from stakeholders to strengthen UK–Tanzania trade cooperation and accelerate export-led growth, positioning Tanzania to capture a greater share of high-value UK market opportunities in the coming years.