Ambassador de Boer: Tanzania and Netherlands relations have blossomed in making agriculture “attractive”

After four years of service in Tanza­nia, Dutch Ambassador Wiebe de Boer is packing his bags, but not without leav­ing behind a trail of meaningful part­nerships, economic progress, and fond memories.

“We have had a great time here the past four years, Tanzania has fascinated me from the first moment we touched down. The kindness and warmth of the people, the natural beauty of the coun­try made us feel immediately at home. It has etched a lasting memory in my mind and that of my wife Margreet,” Ambas­sador addressed with delight.

From his first day, Ambassador De Boer made it clear that diplomacy was not just about meetings and proto­col—it was about building bridges. And over the past four years, those bridges have expanded into wide-open roads for cooperation, trade and investment between Tanzania and the Netherlands.

“We have concentrated on making agriculture attractive. By that I mean showing especially young people that there are great opportunities to make a good and modern living in agricul­ture. We really believe in bringing all stakeholders in the sectors together like for instance in the Platform for Quality Horticulture Seeds.”

“The Ministry of Agriculture and its specialised agencies like TOSCI work together with TAHA and TASTA and the companies involved. We have inter­esting results now also bringing togeth­er international and national seed breeders. That will result in more avail­ability of the right seeds,” His Excellency stated further.

Another nice example is in the cash­ews processing. The strategy of the min­istry of agriculture is to have all Tanzani­an grown cashews also being processed in Tanzania.

That fitted nicely with the interest of three Dutch Cashew selling companies to guarantee more quality and better working conditions through 100% traceability in the production of their cashews. Those three companies have set up processing facilities in Tan­zania now offering hundreds of new jobs.

It didn’t stop there. The Embassy also worked closely with the Tanzania Official Seed Certification Institute (TOSCI) to improve seed potato varieties and with highly specialised companies, the local multiplication of seed potatoes, creating new export possibilities and driving up local consumption. Netherlands private investors also started a potato chip fac­tory that already has made imports of potato chips unnecessary.

Poultry was another unexpected area of passion. The Tanzanian Ministry of Livestock organised a mission to the Netherlands jumpstarting investment in technology and fruitful cooperation between Tanzanian and Dutch compa­nies and a good cooperation between the sanitary authorities. His Excellency de Boer connotes that: “We are train­ing on how to prevent outbreaks and improve food safety.”

Next to business also politics is of interest. The Netherlands has always expressed that they will partner in the path to a thriving multi-party democra­cy. Their cooperation with the Tanzani­an Centre for Democracy (TCD) where the five biggest political parties work together, is dear to his heart.

The Embassy supported a very nice project of TCD of bringing together the youth wings of the five parties in a course on how to use social media to really connect with your voters. They really believe in political dialogue.

Financial inclusion was another pri­ority. He recalls the visit of the Dutch Queen Maxima in 2022 in her quality of Special Envoy on financial inclusion of the Secretary General of the Unit­ed Nations, where H.M championed access to credit for underserved com­munities. Her message still echoes help­ing people in remote areas grow their businesses by giving them the financial tools they need.

The Dutch Embassy also partnered with the Tanzania Revenue Authority. They organised tax workshops where companies could meet the TRA to grow mutual understanding and confidence. It works very well. Also the mutual training on international tax practic­es provided by the Amsterdam based International Bureau of Fiscal Docu­mentation went perfect.

His Excellency suggests that if you overtax a sector, you won’t see growth. As the Embassy, they are ready to work together on broadening the tax base and working on the notion that everybody should pay taxes in order to build the good roads, hospitals and schools that everybody wants.

“What I would really like to see is a startup-friendly policy framework, there has been a lot of talk about it but it is not there yet. Imagine a clear and smart system that enables young and older people to register their business­es, operate legally, and pay taxes. That would really boost employment.”

Tourism has recovered very well after Covid. “The daily KLM flight to Amsterdam is an important source for tourism and business. There are many Dutch companies now also investing in sustainable tourism that is the future I think,” he remarked.

On the logistics front, the Embas­sy works now with TradeMark Africa to facilitate exports from Tanzania’s Southern Highlands through the port of Dar es Salaam instead of the far longer stretch to Mombasa.

They see a great future in agro and agro-logistics. Agricultural exports to the Netherlands have grown by 60% for the last three years. And this is only the beginning. We would be happy to run a current account deficit in the future with Tanzania.

As he reflects on his time in Tanzania, it’s clear that his legacy is one of quiet, steady transformation together with Tanzanian government, companies and institutions small seeds that will con­tinue to grow. From sailing Zanzibar’s pristine shores to wildlife adventures in Selous and Mikumi, his personal jour­ney has been as rich as his professional one.

“What people want is dynamism,” he says, offering a word of advice on the future. For Ambassador Wiebe de Boer, this is not a goodbye, but a heart­felt kwaheri—a parting filled with hope, friendship, and the promise of contin­ued cooperation.