London’s TZ trade centre relocated to the embassy

Dodoma. The government yesterday told the National Assembly that it has closed the London-based Tanzania Trade Centre and moved its activities to the country’s High Commission in the UK.

Answering a question on behalf of the Minister for Industries, Trade and Investment, the Deputy Minister for Finance and Planning, Dr Ashatu Kijaji, told the august House that the move to shift the centre’s activities was meant to boost performance.

The Centre was opened in October 1989 under the directives of the former President Ali Hassan Mwinyi to boost economic ties between Tanzania and Britain by attracting investors and tourists from the UK and across Europe.

However, according to Dr Kijaji, as years passed, the Centre found itself in the middle of financial and human resource challenges and led to its failure to achieve its goals.

By November 2016, the Centre had a debt totalling Sh129 million in rent, phone, water and electricity bills. The debt has already been cleared by the government.

“In order to save the image of the country and dignity of those working at the Centre, the government has decided to permanently close it and move all of its activities to our High Commission in London,” she said.

Dr Kijaji was responding to a question by Mr Saed Kubenea (Ubungo-Chadema) who had wanted to know what was the government doing to solve financial challenges facing the Centre and led it to providing poor services to its clients.