Bwemelo, Gordian S.
Description:
Many countries including Tanzania strive to make export a primacy. However, competition in the global market is becoming severe hence necessitating countries to develop strategies to survive under such fierce trade war. One of the approaches to securing export competitiveness is country branding by developing export champion
products. Based on the review of the success stories of champion products from a few selected countries, the study explores how champion products are developed and their possible impacts on export performance. The study reveals that behind every champion product development, there are stories about natural resources, people and/or their cultural heritages and should be difficult to copy. Moreover, the findings indicate that
development of champion product requires consideration of its unique and appealing attributes for a particular foreign market niche. The paper concludes that export champion products play an indispensable role in promoting the country’s image and better export. The important prediction is that the availability of diverse cultural heritage resources in Tanzania may lead to development of several export champion products. It is
therefore recommended that Tanzania should adopt the concept of champion product as one of the export promotion strategies to realize export competitive advantage in the premium foreign market. Additionally, a comprehensive research to identify resources with potentials to be developed to champion products is recommended.