Tanzania’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, in collaboration with Finland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, is nearing the launch of a transformative project designed to revitalize Tanzania’s forestry sector. This announcement was made during a meeting in Finland between Tanzania’s Permanent Secretary for Natural Resources and Tourism, Dr. Hassan Abbasi, and Finland’s Permanent Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry, Pekka Pesonen.
The initiative aims to significantly enhance the value of Tanzania’s forestry sector, making it a more commercially viable industry. Dr. Abbasi emphasized that Tanzania can gain valuable insights from Finland, which has a thriving forestry sector that serves as a major economic driver. He pointed out that in 2022, Finland’s forestry industry generated €20 billion and created numerous jobs, highlighting the potential for Tanzania to replicate this success and boost its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through sustainable forestry practices.
Finland has a history of supporting Tanzania’s forestry sector, particularly through the Forvac project, which resulted in the creation of 500,000 jobs. The new collaboration seeks to build on this foundation and further increase the sector’s contribution to Tanzania’s economy. Pekka Pesonen reiterated Finland’s commitment to ongoing collaboration with Tanzania, focusing on the exchange of expertise in forest management, especially in state-owned forestry, where Tanzania can benefit from Finland’s experience in the private sector.
