Samia Suluhu Hassan, the president of Tanzania, and PM Modi had a private meeting.

Tanzania is one of the nations that has most benefited from India’s current focus on Africa, where New Delhi has opened roughly 15 new missions.

On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership and agreed to further collaboration in a variety of fields, including commerce, investment, defense, and counterterrorism.

Tanzania is one of the nations that has most benefited from India’s current emphasis on Africa, as New Delhi has opened roughly 15 new missions. Hassan’s visit follows swiftly on the heels of agreements to establish the Indian Institute of Technology’s (IIT) first overseas campus in Tanzania and the African Union’s full membership in the G20 during the summit held by India last month.

At a joint media appearance with Hassan, Modi remarked in Hindi, “Today we are turning our age-old friendship into a strategic partnership.” According to him, the two nations have identified fresh efforts to deepen their trade and investment cooperation, including a plan to boost the use of local currencies.

A five-year plan for defense cooperation between the two parties has also been agreed upon, and it covers new sectors like military training, marine cooperation, capacity building, and the defense industry.

“The establishment of the IIT-Madras branch in Zanzibar represents a pivotal moment in the evolution of our partnership. It will become a center for top-notch education for students from the region as well as Tanzania, according to Modi, who called Tanzania India’s “largest and closest development partner in Africa.”

We emphasized the necessity for increased bilateral coordination to address issues including marine security, piracy, and drug trafficking as countries connected to the Indian Ocean. Tanzania is a valuable partner to us in all Indo-Pacific endeavors, Modi remarked.

“Both India and Tanzania share a common concern, recognizing terrorism as the paramount global security menace. As a result, they have pledged to enhance their collaboration in counter-terrorism efforts,” he remarked.

Samia Suluhu Hassan characterized India as “akin to an extended family member” and articulated that her trip was intended to reaffirm Tanzania’s dedication to strengthening their bonds of friendship and cooperation.”Noting that India is Tanzania’s third largest trading partner, she expr He continued that India and Tanzania have chosen to expand counterterrorism cooperation because they both agree that terrorism poses the greatest security threat to humanity.

Samia Suluhu Hassan referred to India as “an extended family member” and stated that Tanzania’s goal of strengthening friendship and collaboration is the reason for her visit. She acknowledged that India is Tanzania’s third-largest trading partner and expressed Tanzania’s appreciation for India’s support of attempts to ensure the African Union’s inclusion in the G20, to relieve vulnerable countries of their debt, and to secure funding for the development of clean energy in developing countries.

Expressed her country’s appreciation to India for its part in achieving the G20 membership of the African Union, debt relief programs for vulnerable countries, and funding for the development of clean energy in poor countries.

The two parties signed six agreements, including a technical one on the sharing of white shipping information between the Indian Navy and Tanzania Shipping Agencies Corporation, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the sharing of digital public infrastructure, and an MoU between the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority and Tanzania Investment Centre for the establishment of an industrial park in Tanzania.

Tanzania’s main export market is India, where $6.4 billion worth of trade took place in 2022–2023, with $3.9 billion in Indian exports. With investments totaling $3.7 billion, Indian companies have carried out 630 projects and generated 60,000 jobs in Tanzania, making them the sixth largest investor in the country.

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External Affairs Ministry Secretary for Economic Relations Dammu Ravi stated during a media conference that India started the movement for trading in local currencies last year and that both parties have opened vostro accounts to make this possible. He described the transition as a “work in progress,” adding that “some transactions have already happened, although it’s a very small amount…about $50 million dollars.”

According to him, the MoU on digital public infrastructure will open up opportunities for Indian businesses to provide services in industries like fintech and digital payments.

Ravi stated that Tanzania has a big stake in ensuring that maritime lines are free from piracy or meddling in the area of security. He claimed that Samia Suluhu Hassan and Modi spoke about working together to combat terrorism, drug trafficking, and piracy.

Tanzania also indicated interest in buying defense supplies from India. We need to figure out how to move forward because doing so calls for a detailed list of the things and a payment schedule, according to Ravi.