India and Tanzania reviewed bilateral engagements between them during the 10th session of Joint Commission on Saturday
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Tanzanian counterpart Dr. Stergomena Tax discussed new and emerging areas of interest during the 10th session of Joint Commission on Economic, Technical and Scientific Cooperation in Dar es Salaam.



“(Held) comprehensive and productive meeting of the 10th India-Tanzania Joint Commission on Economic, Technical and Scientific Cooperation today in Dar es Salaam. Thank my co-chair FM Dr Stergomenna Tax,” Jaishankar tweeted on Saturday.



He further wrote, “Our discussions covered various domains of cooperation including political, trade & investment, development partnership, capacity building, defence and security, agriculture, health, education, skill and ICT development, energy, mining, blue economy, people to people and cultural relations.”



The two sides also shared their perspectives on the region and India-Tanzania collaboration in Commonwealth, NAM, and the UN.



Earlier, in his opening remarks at the joint commission meeting, EAM Jaishankar spoke highly of bilateral relations between the two countries, stating they have always been “strong since independence, and they have been characterised by high-level visits, by several agreements, by a very robust economic engagement, by growing development cooperation, and by excellent cooperation in the multilateral forum.”



Talking about India-Tanzania trade, he said both countries are “important” trade partners. “For us, Tanzania is the fourth largest trade partner in Africa.” Bilateral trade between the two countries stood at $4.58 billion in 2021-22 and $6.4 billion in 2022-23.



India is also among the top five investment sources in Tanzania and as per Tanzania Investment Centre, Indian investments in Tanzania stand at $3.68 billion.



Currently, major Indian companies in Tanzania are Airtel (telecom), Tata Africa Holdings Ltd, Mahindra & Mahindra (tractors), Kamal Group (Steel), Kalpataru (power transmission), Tanzindia (insurance with significant share of Indian PSEs), Larsen & Toubro, Afcons, Hester Biosciences (animal vaccines), Mahashree Agro and Purandare Industries (sugar factory).



EAM Jaishankar thanked the Tanzanian government for creating “a positive, enabling environment” for the Indian business community to expand its activities in the East African country.



In his opening remarks, Jaishankar also talked about water partnership between the two countries. “We are immensely proud of the fact that in the last few years, that initiative has helped to transform the lives of millions of Tanzanians,” he said.



India offered $1.1 billion LOC to Tanzania for its various water projects. For the development of water supply projects in Dar es Salaam and coastal Chalinze region, India extended $178.125 million LOC.



The water supply project from Upper Ruvu River to Dar es Salaam was completed and inaugurated by then Tanzanian President Dr John Pombe J Magufuli on June 27, 2017, the Dar es Salaam-based Indian High Commission said.



India extended LOC of $268.35 million for extension of water pipeline from Lake Victoria to towns of Tabora, Igunga and Nzega in western Tanzania.



The project was completed and inaugurated by then President Dr. John Magufuli on January30, 2021. A balance of funds that remained from this project was utilized for water supply projects in Tinde and Sheuli villages of Tanzania, the Indian High Commission added.



The Indian High Commission further said the LOC of $92.18 million was extended for rehabilitation and improvement of the water supply system in Zanzibar. This project is under implementation and expected to be complete soon.



A LOC of $500 million for water infrastructure projects in several towns in Tanzania was signed on May 10, 2018. Four Indian companies L&T, Afcons-Vijeta JV, Megha Engineering and Jindal Water Infrastructure have been selected to implement the water project.



A contract signing ceremony between the Indian contractors and the Ministry of Water of Tanzania was held on June 6, 2022 in Dodoma. The project is expected to start soon, the Indian High Commission informed.



India, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding for setting up of a campus of IIT Madras in Zanzibar on July 5, has executed a number of projects under grants in Tanzania since early years.



Three IT/Communication projects completed in the recent past included, a Centre of Excellence in ICT at the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology in 2011, ICT Centre at Nelson Mandela African Institute for Science & Technology in 2016 and the Pan African e- Network Project at University of Dar es Salaam in 2010.



First tranche of essential medicines and vaccines worth $1 million announced during the visit of PM Modi to Tanzania in July 2016 was handed to Tanzania’s Ministry of Health in September 2018. The second tranche of essential medicines (nearly $1 million) was handed on September 10, 2020. Essential medicines to Zanzibar in April 2022.



Under “India for Humanity” programme, an artificial limbs (Jaipur Foot) Fitment Camp was organized by Shree Bhagwan Mahavir Viklang Sahayata Samiti, Jaipur under a GOI grant at the Muhimbili Orthopedic Institute, Dar es Salaam from June 6, 2019 to July 13, 2019 during which 551 limbs to 520 Tanzanian beneficiaries were provided free of cost.



In August 2017, over 1,30,000 NCERT Science & Mathematics text books for Secondary Public Schools in Tanzania from India were handed over to the Minister of Education, Science, Technology & Vocational Training.



India extended support of $250,000 for Kagera earthquake relief in September 2016.



India set up a radiation therapy machine ‘Bhabhatron-II’ for cancer patients at Bugando Medical Centre, Mwanza under Government of India grant support in July 2016. Currently, over 100 cancer patients are receiving radiation therapy daily