AGAIN, UP UP UP IN THE SKY TO FRANCE!

Bye bye Bongoland! See u later! JK begins 5-day visit to France

Sunday, 20 January 2013 09:53

By The Citizen Reporter Dar es Salaam. President Kikwete yesterday began a five-day visit in France where apart from meeting with President Francois Hollande and other prominent public and business figures will also hold talks with His Highness The Aga Khan. A statement from State House said the meeting with the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismailia Muslims will be tomorrow immediately after Mr Kikwete has had a session with the head of oil giant Total, Mr Yves Louis Darricarere. Apart from spiritual leadership, His Highness The Aga Khan has many other socio-economic interests in Tanzania, including being one of the top investors in the hospitality industry, health and media.  Other prominent people, who will meet with the President, are the chairman of Tanzania Wildlife Conservation Foundation, former France president Valery Giscard d’Estaing and the head of Redio France International, Ms Marie Christine Saragosse. “President Kikwete will leave France on Wednesday and head to Switzerland where he will visit the headquarters of FIFA and then go to Davos to attend this year’s annual meeting of the World Economic Forum,” the State House statement said. The French Embassy in Dar es Salaam said the visit will strengthen bilateral and commercial ties between the two countries. It said in a statement that Tanzania is currently the second trading partner for France behind Kenya in the East African Community. Bilateral trade between the two countries has been growing steadily in recent years with the volume of exchanged goods and services reaching euro 110.8 million (about Sh221 billion) in 2011.