The Tanzanian company GF Automobile and the Indian firm Mahindra & Mahindra will collaborate on launching a car assembling plant in the African country, media reported.
The joint investment for the project, set to start in six months, amounts to approximately $3,9 million (10 billion Tanzanian shillings), the outlet said.
"This investment means job creation, taxes for the government, and boosting individual Tanzanian economies," Tanzanian Minister of State in the President's Office (Planning and Investment), Kitila Mkumbo was quoted by the media as saying.
GF Automobile's head, Imran Karmali, emphasized that the plant aims to lower car costs, making brand-new vehicles more affordable for Tanzanians, according to the report
"These cars will also be new (0 kilometres). I suggest the governments should attract these investments by discouraging the importation of used cars," Karmali added.
The head of the company also highlighted that the facility is expected to assemble four-seater cars, pickups, other passenger vehicles, along with other Mahindra & Mahindra products, the media revealed.
Regarding car importation, mentioned by Karmali, Mkumbo reportedly underlined that "the government will also review its policy on importing cars," noting that currently, it is "allowed to import any car, even if it has been used for 100 years, with higher taxes being charged."
Apart from this plant, the Indian enterprise agreed to establish a tractor assembly facility in Tanzania.
The Tanzania-Indian partnership in the automobile industry was among the issues discussed by the leader of the African country and India's prime minister at their meeting in October, according to the outlet.
Additionally, during the visit, the two states expressed their willingness to increase bilateral trade in local currencies.