Davos, Switzerland – In a proactive move to advance Tanzania's agricultural sector, Vice-President Dr. Philip Mpango has called upon Yara International, the Norwegian fertilizer manufacturer, to escalate investments in agricultural infrastructure within the country.
During discussions on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Dr. Mpango emphasized the critical need for increased investment in irrigation systems, storage facilities, and transportation networks. He underscored the importance of moving beyond traditional cultivation methods and urged Yara International to play a pivotal role in supporting the agricultural value chain.
"As we move forward with our partnership, there are other areas where we would like to suggest for you to scale up, one is agricultural infrastructure," stated Dr. Mpango during a meeting with Yara International leaders.
The Vice-President highlighted plans for enhanced water management, aiming to provide a borehole for every farm in specific regions. The government's strategy includes expanding capacity-building initiatives for smallholder farmers to improve farming techniques, productivity, and competitiveness.
"We are targeting to scale up capacity building for smallholder farmers to improve farming techniques, productivity, competitiveness, and support farmers who have already begun doing farmer-to-farmer learning," explained Dr. Mpango, citing successful examples under the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT).
Additionally, Dr. Mpango stressed the importance of value addition and improved market access to boost returns for Tanzanian farmers and reduce post-harvest losses.
On behalf of the Tanzanian government, Dr. Mpango assured Yara International of continued support for their operations in the country, with the overarching goal of positioning Tanzania as a regional and global food granary.
Ms. Fernanda Larsen, Executive Vice President for Africa, Asia, and Oceania at Yara International, responded positively, expressing commitment to Tanzania's long-term vision for food system transformation. She highlighted Yara International's Africa 2030 strategy and their desire to partner with countries that share a similar vision.
"Our commitment is there; we have many success stories already, as well as digital success stories in which through that we have been able to offer our support. For the future, we would love to scale up and do more initiatives in the country that will ultimately help farmers, so you have my commitment," Ms. Larsen asserted.
In a related development, Dr. Mpango invited the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP) to cooperate with Tanzania in controlling plastic waste. This invitation followed sideline meetings attended by Dr. Mpango in Switzerland with GPAP Director Ms. Clemence Schmid.
The Vice-President discussed the importance of preparing an international forum on the processing of plastic waste and invited GPAP to collaborate on projects facilitating plastic waste processing and separation, particularly in Dodoma.
In another diplomatic move, Dr. Mpango held talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Mr. Demeke Mekonnen Hassen. The discussions aimed to strengthen cooperation between Tanzania and Ethiopia in economic and diplomatic matters.
Davos 2024, with its key themes of achieving security and cooperation in a fractured world, creating growth and jobs for a new era, and artificial intelligence (AI) as a driving force for the economy and society, continues to be a platform for shaping global conversations on pressing issues. Another theme addresses the long-term strategy for climate, nature, and energy, focusing on developing a systemic approach to achieve carbon neutrality and nature positivity by 2050.