India and Tanzania have traditionally enjoyed close and friendly relations
India's engagement with African nations continues to grow as External Affairs Minister EAM Jaishankar begins a four-day official visit to Tanzania to discuss bilateral ties with the country’s top leadership.

During the visit from July 5-8, 2023, EAM Jaishankar will also co-chair the 10th India-Tanzania Joint Commission Meeting with his counterpart.

Releasing information about the visit on Tuesday (July 4, 2023), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said EAM Jaishankar will be in Zanzibar on July 5-6, 2023. He will visit a water supply project funded by Government of India line of credit, call on the top leadership and also attend a reception onboard Indian Naval Ship Trishul, which is visiting Tanzania.

He will thereafter visit Dar-es-Salaam on July 7-8, 2023, where he will co-chair the 10th India-Tanzania Joint Commission Meeting with his counterpart and call on the country’s top leadership, including several Cabinet-rank Ministers. During the visit, he will meet with the members of the Parliamentary Friendship Group for India and inaugurate an India-Tanzania business meeting. EAM Jaishawill also be addressing the Indian diaspora and inaugurate the bust of Swami Vivekananda in Dar es Salaam.

"India and Tanzania have traditionally enjoyed close and friendly relations. EAM’s visit to Tanzania will further consolidate the bilateral relations between our two countries," the MEA noted.

The visit comes barely a week after the second edition of the India-Tanzania Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting in Arusha on June 28 and 29, 2023.

During the meeting, India and Tanzania agreed on a five-year roadmap for defence cooperation, covering initiatives ranging from customised training and capacity-building to maritime cooperation, infrastructure building, and collaboration in defence equipment and technology.

India's growing engagement with Africa was highlighted by EAM Jaishankar in his address at the 18th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa Growth Partnership in New Delhi on June 14, 2023. Speaking at the event, he emphasized India's commitment to forging a development partnership with Africa based on the needs and priorities of its partners.

EAM Jaishankar pointed out that India has extended concessional loans of over US$ 12.37 billion to Africa, with 197 completed projects, 65 under execution, and 81 at the pre-execution stage. These projects range from drinking water schemes, irrigation, rural solar electrification, power plants, and transmission lines to cement, sugar, and textile factories, technology parks, and railway infrastructure.