DAR ES SALAAM, March 24 -- TANZANIA earns only a fraction of what its world-class products are worth. From Kilimanjaro and Mbeya coffee to Zanzibars cloves, cinnamon and vanilla, from coastal cashew nuts to Taboras raw honey, the country produces goods that meet global standards. Yet most are exported as unbranded commodities, leaving the largest share of value to be captured elsewhere.

“The problem is not quality, it is branding. We produce some of the finest goods in the world, yet we sell them as commodities,” the Tanzania Trade Development Authority (Tantrade) Director General, Dr Latifa Khamis, told the Daily News.

Branding, she argues, goes far beyond logos or packaging. It is the full perception a customer holds about...