Ajman Free Zone of UAE exploring Tanzania

Director General of Ajman Free Zone of UAE, Mahmood Al Hashemi, address the media conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday. Ajman Free Zone have identified Tanzania as a potential country within its strategic framework for geographical expansion in the international market. 

Director General of Ajman Free Zone of UAE, Mahmood Al Hashemi (L), signing the business deal with Director of Brandz Management Consultancy, Aziz Merchant (R) in Dar es Salaam yesterday. Ajman has appointed Brandz Management Consultancy as its sole authorized representative for Tanzania

The Ajman Free Zone Management delegation cut off the ribbon in Dar es Salaam yesterday ready to start its the services  within a country. Ajman will identify and establish a local presence soon and also form a strategic alliance with a local marketing agency to create awareness and its benefit to SMEs and thereby benefit the local Tanzanian economy.

DAR-ES-SALAAM: 29th February 2016
AJMAN Free Zone have identified Tanzania as a potential country within its strategic framework for geographical expansion in the international markets, pointing out that the orientations of the Free Zone in international expansion are deliberate in order to ensure integration with its local operations and customer needs in line with the vision developed by the senior management regarding this aspect.
It has appointed Brandz Management Consultancy, as its sole authorized representative for Tanzania. 

Brandz will identify and establish a local presence soon in Dar-es-Salaam and also form a strategic  alliance with a local marketing agency to create awareness of Ajman Free Zone and its benefits to SMEs that are looking to expand their business and thereby benefit the local Tanzanian economy.
In this regard, a Press Talk was held at a local hotel, which was attended by H.E. Mahmood Khaleel Al Hashemi, Director-General of Ajman Free Zone, apart from other representatives of Ajman Free Zone.

Hashemi said that there are over 14,000 registered companies in Ajman Free Zone.
Al Hashemi said “Ajman is now a global hub for businesses, benefiting from its geographical location, climate, unique culture and its natural factors to enhance its economic sector. 

It was necessary for us to keep up with this development with ideas and expansion plans to maintain growth and ensure sustainable success; consequently came the idea of expansion translated into a strategic expansion plan that includes representative offices inside the UAE and abroad to ensure easy and flexible access to Ajman Free Zone with minimal effort and continuous efforts culminated in this context to the appointment of Brandz Management Consultancy for facilitating the opening of its representative office in Tanzania.

Ajman Free Zone Authority believes in the principle of cross promotion and thus looks forward to serving trade missions and business delegations between two countries. With regards to this objective, the Free Zone representatives met with Col. (Retd) Joseph Leon Simbakalia, Director General - EPZA and discussed various areas of collaboration between EPZA and Ajman Free Zone that could include consultancy, management and investment. 

Director General Simbakalia communicated to the delegation that EPZA is very keen on cultivating a suitable investment climate that will help investors capitalize on untapped opportunities in Tanzania. 

The delegation was very impressed by the development strategies undertaken by Director General Simbakalia for the growth of EPZAs in Tanzania. Through this visit, the Free Zone is also prospecting opportunities of high level collaborations that could benefit both countries.. The Free Zone delegation also toured the city and its key trade locations.

During the Press Talk, Aziz Merchant, Director of Brandz Management Consultancy, said ''the objective of this visit and the Press Talk was to give detailed information on the Free Zone, available facilitations, and ease of working in the Free Zone in Ajman''. 

Nader Eldesouky - Deputy Director General added that “our goal is to create and establish long-term fruitful economic collaborations between the two countries and encourage investors to take advantage of mutual collaboration and investment and business facilitations provided to companies, especially SMEs of Tanzania in the Emirate of Ajman. 

When SMEs derive success through international expansion, they become more competitive and build local capacity that benefits local economy, and Ajman Free Zone believes in providing cost effective and prudent international market expansion to companies in Tanzanian SMEs, which in turn will benefit local economy. 

Rishi Somaiya, the Free Zone's Sales Director, commented further added ''We also see ourselves as enablers for SMEs, the Free Zone will enable international market expansion, especially for SMEs in Tanzania by providing all necessary facilitations and preparations that assures these companies that they are given the best services and products''.

ABOUT AJMAN FREE ZONE
The Ajman Free Zone with its strategic location is considered a fertile ground at the entrance of the gulf, as it possess the required qualifications for providing diversified services for each of the Eastern and Western markets. 

In addition to that, the Emirate of Ajman is considered an easy gateway to two international airports and four ports, and the Ajman port provides services for more than 1000 vessels a year and it is seen as an important maritime center due to possessing 12 berths. Moreover, the Emirate is getting ready to launch the Ajman International Airport through which the Emirate aspires to reach international standards in the field of aviation services.

The Ajman Free Zone was established in 1988 driven by the helm of industrial growth in the Emirate which motivated a large number of companies to take advantage of the investment features thereby; increasing industrial and business areas which in turn helped revive financial and business markets not only in the Emirate but, in the UAE as a whole. 

The Ajman Free Zone provides competitive advantages and facilitations making it an attractive business opportunity; the Ajman Free Zone is working on a development plan worth millions of Dirhams on a land of more than a million square meters.

website: www.afza.gov.ae

About His Excellency Mahmood Khaleel Al Hashemi,
Director General of Ajman Free Zone
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H.E. Mahmood Khaleel Al Hashemi is a senior leader with solid credentials and a career filled with achievements, including 24 years of experience in diverse fields such as governmental and semi-governmental sectors and in commercial projects spanning the financial / economic sector. He is an expert in the development of specialized zones such as economic zones, free zones, industrial zones and logistic support zones.

His experience includes strategy and planning, business development, fund management, marketing, spearheading companies, institutional excellence, risk administration, project management, R&D, preparing and assessing commercial feasibilities, transaction management; in addition to a wide set of experiences, training and practical skills, leading initiatives as well as playing a prominent role in planning and wise leadership for the creation of a successful work environment.