Dar es Salaam. Tanzania and Mozambique have renewed their commitment to expanding trade, investment and regional integration, with their presidents urging African countries to pursue economic freedom through industrialisation, value addition and stronger implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
President Daniel Francisco Chapo made the call on Friday July 3, 2026 while joining President Samia Suluhu Hassan to officially open the 50th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF), popularly known as Sabasaba, at the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Trade Fair Grounds.
The Golden Jubilee edition of the exhibition marks five decades of promoting trade, investment and industrial development. Running from June 28 to July 13, the fair has attracted thousands of local exhibitors and participants from dozens of countries, reinforcing its position as one of the region’s largest trade platforms.
President Chapo said Africa’s political liberation must now be matched by economic independence driven by trade, industrialisation and investment.
“If our founders conquered political freedom, it is up to us to conquer economic freedom,” he said.
He urged African countries to process their abundant natural resources instead of exporting them in raw form, saying value addition would create jobs, strengthen industries and improve the continent’s competitiveness.
The Mozambican leader said Tanzania and Mozambique occupy a strategic position linking East and Southern Africa and should use that advantage to deepen cross-border commerce.
He identified energy, agriculture, mining, tourism, manufacturing, technology, the blue economy and cross-border trade as sectors with significant potential for cooperation.
President Chapo also called for greater collaboration among regional ports, including Dar es Salaam and Mtwara in Tanzania and Pemba, Nacala and Beira in Mozambique.
“Our ports should complement each other instead of competing,” he said, adding that better infrastructure, lower transport costs, simpler border procedures and integrated regional value chains would unlock greater trade across the continent.
He encouraged Tanzanian businesses to participate in the 61st Maputo International Trade Fair later this year, describing both countries as stable and reliable destinations for investment.
President Hassan said the Sabasaba exhibition has, for the past 50 years, connected producers, buyers and investors while creating opportunities for businesses to access domestic and international markets.
She said the large turnout of local and foreign exhibitors reflected growing confidence in Tanzania’s investment climate and the country’s expanding role in regional commerce.
The President said the longstanding friendship between Tanzania and Mozambique should now deliver greater economic dividends through increased industrial production, employment and improved livelihoods.
She also stressed that Africa must strengthen trade among its own economies and make full use of the AfCFTA to accelerate economic transformation.
The two leaders said stronger regional cooperation, modern infrastructure and closer economic ties would help African countries build resilient economies capable of competing globally.
The Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair, organised annually by the Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TanTrade), has evolved into a major commercial gateway connecting businesses from East, Central and Southern Africa with international markets.
