Zanzibar’s Mwinyi: We Left Political Differences Behind, Are Heading to Economic Advancement

President Hussein Mwinyi (Photo Credit: Al Qadeer Workshop)
President Hussein Mwinyi (Photo Credit: Al Qadeer Workshop)
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Zanzibar’s Mwinyi: We Left Political Differences Behind, Are Heading to Economic Advancement

President Hussein Mwinyi (Photo Credit: Al Qadeer Workshop)
President Hussein Mwinyi (Photo Credit: Al Qadeer Workshop)

Eastern Africa’s Zanzibar is transforming from the largest slave trade center in the world into the largest African center for economic tourism with it accounting for about 30% of GDP.

President Hussein Mwinyi confirmed that Zanzibar’s political parties have abandoned their differences to maximize economic and food security and accelerate the infusion of foreign and domestic investments, so that the commercial focus of the Middle East remains in Africa.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Mwinyi said that “Zanzibar has become politically stable, which created an environment for development, investment, social and economic prosperity, and transformed political momentum into economic momentum.”

The president, however, stressed that the biggest challenge facing Zanzibar’s economy is the weakness of its basic infrastructure sector.

Mwinyi called on Saudi businessmen to invest in the opportunities offered by his country.

Moreover, Mwinyi stressed the importance of strengthening trade, economic and investment relations between Zanzibar and Saudi Arabia, and urged taking advantage of commercial opportunities created by the latter’s plan for national transformation, “Vision 2030.”

Speaking about the level of trade exchange, Mwinyi stressed that relations between Saudi Arabia and Tanzania are long-term and of mutual benefit.

Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania.

Tourism Cooperation

“Tanzania is a tourist destination,” affirmed Mwinyi, adding that “tourism continues to play a major role in its economy.”

“When we were invited to Saudi Arabia to participate in the recent travel and tourism summit in Riyadh, we were happy to be here in order to learn from this industry,” said Mwinyi, who participated in the 22nd World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit (WTTC's) in Riyadh.

“I believe that my participation in the recent summit in Riyadh was a great opportunity to meet with some Saudi officials to discuss some related issues and ways to enhance cooperation in all fields,” the president told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“I also had the opportunity to meet with the Federation of Saudi Chambers and business sector officials. We raised our requirements for investment in Tanzania as well as in various sectors,” said Mwinyi.

He pointed out that his country is a tourist destination, especially Zanzibar, where tourism contributes about 30% of the GDP.

Mwinyi added that his country is in a state of continuous research to improve its tourism industry.

Investment Opportunities

“There are wide areas of cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Tanzania in general, and with Zanzibar in particular. Therefore, we are looking for Saudi investments in Tanzania, whether governmental or private,” revealed Mwinyi.

“We have many areas where we need foreign direct investment, whether in infrastructure development, tourism, or social services such as hospitals and schools,” said Mwinyi.

Mwinyi explained that possible areas of bilateral cooperation include energy, water systems, roads, infrastructure, airports, and seaports.

Additionally, the president said he had held “good” discussions with Ahmed Al-Khateeb, the Saudi Minister of Tourism.

“Zanzibar depends a lot on tourism. So, when the coronavirus pandemic hit, it greatly affected our economy,” explained Mwinyi.

“Currently we are witnessing the return of the tourism sector to pre-pandemic numbers,” he revealed.

Business Relations

According to the latest official data, the volume of trade between Saudi Arabia and Zanzibar during the past five years amounted to approximately SAR 15.9 billion ($4.2 billion), while it reached SAR 2.8 billion ($746 million) in the first half of 2022.

It had achieved SAR 4.7 billion ($1.2 billion) in 2021 and SAR 1.5 billion ($400 million) in 2020, an increase of 216% in 2021 compared to 2020.

Shift to Economic Momentum

“Zanzibar needs proper infrastructure to attract capital and investment. So, this is the biggest challenge. But I must say that economically and politically, we are a stable country,” said Mwinyi.

“We had political issues in the past, but we decided to sit down and sort out our differences.”

“Now that we are politically stable, we hope that this will create an environment for investment and social and economic prosperity.”

“One of the most important areas we are working on is attracting capital and foreign direct investment,” said Mwinyi regarding his government's plan to face the challenges ahead.

“We talked with many countries and private sectors to bring capital to Zanzibar,” revealed the president, adding that “there are a lot of investments happening, especially in the tourism field.”

“We are also working to develop the infrastructure,” he affirmed.

“We now have the private sector investing in our seaports and airports and building roads and water systems, especially in the energy sector.”



G7 Leaders Meet in Canada Hoping to Avoid Trump Clash

 Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney attends a bilateral meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (not pictured), before the start of the G7 summit, at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario Canada, June 15, 2025. (Reuters)
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney attends a bilateral meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (not pictured), before the start of the G7 summit, at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario Canada, June 15, 2025. (Reuters)
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G7 Leaders Meet in Canada Hoping to Avoid Trump Clash

 Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney attends a bilateral meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (not pictured), before the start of the G7 summit, at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario Canada, June 15, 2025. (Reuters)
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney attends a bilateral meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (not pictured), before the start of the G7 summit, at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario Canada, June 15, 2025. (Reuters)

Group of Seven leaders gather in the Canadian Rockies starting on Sunday amid growing splits with the United States over foreign policy and trade, with host Canada striving to avoid clashes with President Donald Trump.

While Prime Minister Mark Carney says his priorities are strengthening peace and security, building critical mineral supply chains and creating jobs, issues such as US tariffs and the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine are expected to feature heavily.

Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other overnight into Sunday, killing scores hours before the leaders of the world's industrialized democracies meet.

"This issue will be very high on the agenda of the G7 summit," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said. He said his goals are for Iran to not develop or possess nuclear weapons, ensuring Israel's right to defend itself, avoiding escalation of conflict and creating room for diplomacy.

The summit takes place in the mountain resort of Kananaskis, some 90 km (56 miles) west of Calgary.

The last time Canada played host, in 2018, Trump left the summit before denouncing then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "very dishonest and weak" and instructing the US delegation to withdraw its approval of the final communique.

"This will be a successful meeting if Donald Trump doesn't have an eruption that disrupts the entire gathering. Anything above and beyond that is gravy," said University of Ottawa international affairs professor Roland Paris, who was foreign policy adviser to Trudeau.

Trump has often mused about annexing Canada and arrives at a time when Carney is threatening reprisals if Washington does not lift tariffs on steel and aluminum.

"The best-case scenario... is that there's no real blow-ups coming out of the back end," said Josh Lipsky, chair of international economics at the Atlantic Council think tank and a former White House and State Department official.

Carney's office declined to comment on how the Israeli strikes would affect the summit.

Diplomats said Canada has ditched the idea of a traditional comprehensive joint communique and would issue chair summaries instead, in hopes of containing a disaster and maintaining engagement with the US.

A senior Canadian official told reporters that Ottawa wanted to focus on actions the seven members - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States - could take together.

Canadian Senator Peter Boehm, a veteran former diplomat who acted as Trudeau's personal representative to the 2018 summit, said he had been told the summit would last longer than usual to give time for bilateral meetings with the US president.

Expected guests for parts of the Sunday to Tuesday event include leaders from Ukraine, Mexico, India, Australia, South Africa, South Korea and Brazil.

"Many will want to talk to President Trump about their own particular interests and concerns," Boehm said by phone.

A senior US official said on Friday working discussions would cover trade and the global economy, critical minerals, migrant and drug smuggling, wildfires, international security, artificial intelligence and energy security.

"The president is eager to pursue his goals in all of these areas including making America’s trade relationships fair and reciprocal," the official said.

The visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to the Oval Office in February descended into acrimony and has served as a warning for other world leaders about the delicate dance they face in negotiating with Trump.

But diplomats say the frustration of dealing with the Trump administration has made some keener to assert themselves.

'THE BIG TEST'

Canada has long been one of Ukraine's most vocal supporters. Trump came to power promising to end the war with Russia within 24 hours, but diplomatic efforts have stalled.

One Ukrainian official involved in preparations for the summit said hope had faded for a strong statement in support of Ukraine. Instead, success for Kyiv would merely constitute an amicable meeting between Trump and Zelenskiy.

A European official said the G7 summit and the NATO summit in The Hague later in June provided an opportunity to underscore to Trump the need to press ahead with a sanctions bill put together by US senators alongside a new European package to pressure Russia into a ceasefire and broader talks.

Trump’s first international summit of his second term will offer some early clues on whether he is interested in working with allies to solve common problems, said Max Bergmann, a director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“The big overarching question here is, basically, is the United States still committed to formats like the G7? That is going to be the big test,” Bergmann said.