President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania and President William Samoei Ruto of Kenya have agreed on a major push to remove trade barriers and strengthen economic cooperation, signing eight new agreements aimed at boosting business, investment, and regional integration.
President Ruto is on a two-day state visit to Tanzania, where he was hosted at State House in Dar es Salaam.
The visit brought together the two leaders for high-level talks, official negotiations, and a joint Tanzania–Kenya Business Forum attended by government officials and private sector players from both countries.
The leaders focused on key areas including trade, investment, energy, agriculture, infrastructure, tourism, ICT, defence, and security. Both sides agreed that improving cooperation in these sectors will directly benefit citizens through more jobs, easier business operations, and lower costs of doing business.
A major outcome of the meeting is the commitment to remove all outstanding non-tariff barriers by May 2026. These are administrative and regulatory obstacles that have been slowing down trade between the two countries.
To ensure progress, the two presidents directed that Joint Trade Committee meetings be held regularly to solve existing challenges quickly and prevent new barriers from emerging.
President Samia said Tanzania remains committed to building a smooth and efficient trading environment with Kenya, stressing that regional cooperation must translate into real benefits for ordinary citizens.
President Ruto said Tanzania and Kenya are closely linked economies that should work as partners, not competitors.
He said trade between the two countries reached 860 million US dollars in 2025, but could have gone beyond 1 billion US dollars if barriers had not slowed business flows.
He added that removing these obstacles will allow businesses to grow faster, create more jobs for young people, and increase investment opportunities across borders.
During the visit, the two leaders witnessed the signing of eight cooperation agreements covering railway development, a feasibility study for the Dar es Salaam–Mombasa natural gas pipeline, mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, agriculture, recognition of seafarers’ certificates, maritime transport cooperation, standards cooperation between Zanzibar and Kenya, and capacity building in public service.
These agreements are expected to make it easier for goods, services, and people to move between the two countries, while improving safety, efficiency, and professional standards in key sectors.
The leaders also reviewed major infrastructure projects that are expected to transform regional connectivity.
These include power interconnection projects, railway links passing through Tanga, Moshi, Kilimanjaro, and Taveta, and the road corridor connecting Dar es Salaam, Bagamoyo, Pangani, Tanga, Horohoro, and Mombasa.
The planned projects are expected to reduce transport costs and improve cross-border trade.
Later, President Samia and President Ruto attended the Tanzania–Kenya Business Forum, which brought together investors, entrepreneurs, and government officials.
The forum focused on unlocking private sector opportunities and strengthening cross-border investment.
Closing the forum, President Samia said Tanzania and Kenya will continue working together to remove barriers, align regulations, and build infrastructure that supports trade and investment.
She said the goal is to ensure that economic cooperation benefits ordinary citizens in both countries.
President Ruto said both countries have the potential to raise trade to 1 billion US dollars and attract 500 million US dollars in new investment within three years if barriers are removed and the private sector is fully supported.
Business leaders from both countries called for faster reforms in areas such as manufacturing, energy, finance, agriculture, infrastructure, and services.
They said stronger cooperation will help businesses grow and create more opportunities for citizens across East Africa.
The agreements are expected to open up new opportunities for traders, farmers, transporters, investors, and young entrepreneurs, while strengthening the long-standing friendship between Tanzania and Kenya.
