Tanzania President John Pombe Magufuli

London, Oct. 19 (AltAfrika) — Oman on Wednesday pledged to support Tanzania on its drive towards an industrial economy aimed at making the east African nation a middle-income country by 2025.

Mohammed Al Rumhy, Oman’s Minister for Oil and Gas, said his country would make heavy investments in industries, gas and oil and add value to minerals extracted in Tanzania, said a statement by the Directorate of Presidential Communications at State House in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

Al Rumhy, who is leading a high-level delegation from Oman, made the pledge during talks with President John Magufuli, said the statement.

“Oman is also ready to put up a state-of-the art fertilizer factory in the Bagamoyo economic processing zone,” said Al Rumhy who was accompanied by the Minister for Investment Salem Ben Nasser Al Imaely and the Deputy Minister for Tourism Maitha Saif Majid, among other officials.

The delegation arrived in Dar es Salaam port on Tuesday aboard a ship christened “Fulk Al Salamah” normally used by the Omani royal family.

The statement said Al Rumhy’s visit was aimed at strengthening the Tanzania-Oman relationship, especially on the economic front.

He said the two countries were sharing experience on the oil and gas industry, adding: “We want to cooperate with Tanzania in the industrial sector by building big industries and adding value to the minerals being extracted here in Tanzania.”

For his part, President Magufuli apart from thanking the Omani royal government for its commitment, pledged continued cooperation.

The president said Tanzania was ready to create conducive environment for investments by giving investors necessary support.

He asked the government of Oman to strengthen its relationship with Tanzania on tourism, fishing and aviation sectors as well as construction of meat processing industries, and exchange programs for experts in Kiswahili and Arabic languages.

Magufuli also thanked the Omani government for the construction of 100 water wells across the country and asked for more investments in the new capital city of Dodoma in central Tanzania.