The growing ties between India and Tanzania may enter a critical phase with President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s official visit to New Delhi, said government officials.
The visit is significant given that it follows a series of diplomatic missions by India’s external affairs minister S. Jaishankar to Africa, and Tanzania’s strategic position as the entry point for India to the continent, as stated by the minister during his visit to the country in July, one of the officials said on the condition of anonymity. “Trade is expected to be the central theme of the visit, underscoring India’s strategic approach to Africa.”
“India and Tanzania share vibrant economic, commercial and business ties. India is the second-largest trading partner of Tanzania with bilateral trade of $2.37 billion in 2020-21. India is also among the top five investors in Tanzania. According to Tanzania Investment Centre, Indian investments add up to $3.65 billion,” said an official of the external affairs ministry.
India’s economic ties with Africa have deepened and trade is expected to cross $100 billion soon. New Delhi has extended lines of credit of over $1 billion to the East African nation and most of this funding has gone into water-supply projects, the official added.
India is also helping Tanzania modernize its armed forces. In June, a five-year roadmap for defence cooperation was agreed upon between the two nations, comprising “customised training and capacity building to maritime cooperation, infrastructure building and collaboration in defence equipment as well as technology,” said defence ministry official. India has trained significant number of armed forces personnel from Tanzania, he added.
During his visit two months ago, Jaishankar also announced that the first campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) will be established in Zanzibar, a province in Tanzania. A memorandum of understanding was signed with IIT Madras, which will design the curricula, in Zanzibar president Hussein Ali Mwinyi’s and Jaishankar’s presence. Zanzibar-Tanzania government will bear the capital and operating expenditure for the campus. The degrees will be given by IIT-M and programmes are expected to start in October.
In 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Tanzania, reciprocating President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete’s 2015 visit. Prime ministers Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh’s visits also underline the significance of the bilateral ties.
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