How human resource development is bolstering India-Tanzania ties

Tanzania [South Africa], July 18 (ANI): An agreement to establish the first overseas Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) was the key takeaway of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s recent visit to Tanzania, reported The Citizen.
IIT-Madras and the Zanzibar government have signed an MoU to setup this institution.
Tanzania's inclusion in this project is hardly a surprise, the report noted, adding that the two countries have enjoyed a dependable relationship ever since independence thanks to Tanzania's location on Africa's east coast, which is strategically significant to India.
Although it is thought to be close to China, it has not wavered in its engagement with India, as per The Citizen.
The Citizen is a South African daily newspaper published in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The strategic alignment and growing economic linkages strengthen diplomatic ties, the report stated, adding that Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd and Abu Dhabi Ports Group decided to invest in port infrastructure last year in order to turn Tanzania into a maritime hub.
In 2022–2023, the bilateral trade between the two countries rose by 40 per cent, totalling USD 6.4 billion. Exports of refined petroleum and drugs from India make up a sizable portion of this. Tanzania is one of the nations that has made the best use of the duty-free tariff preference system and has drawn investment from India in agricultural products among other things.
Tanzania's exports to India have increased; formerly, they were mostly made up of gold. Tanzania's top export destination at the moment is India.
Tanzania has USD 4 billion in investments from India. India is one of Tanzania's top five foreign investors. One of the most popular industries for investment is mining, followed by healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and veterinary vaccines. A 55,000-strong diaspora promotes economic exchange and has fuelled the development of the two countries' ties over the years, according to The Citizen.
Concessional lines of credit totalling USD 12 billion are extended over Africa by India. In Tanzania alone, it totals more than USD 1 billion. One of the most frequent and effective users of Indian credit lines is the African nation.
These projects supported by India had a significant impact. The water projects serve 28 Tanzanian cities and offer 8 million people with consistent water supply.
Indian help was used to establish Tanzania's Command and Staff College. A military training squad from India is located here for academic upgradation. Tanzania is frequently visited by Indian Navy ships. In Zanzibar, Jaishankar attended a reception held on board the INS Trishul.
People-to-people ties, with a special emphasis on human resource development, are an important component of India and Tanzania's cooperation. The choice to establish an IIT campus in Zanzibar is evidence of this. Education and scientific research are crucial parts of Tanzania's development ambitions. The IIT will help Tanzania's human resources grow, providing it a competitive edge in Africa. Students from East Africa will be allowed entry, followed by pupils from the entire continent, The Citizen reported.
India is moving on with plans to establish higher education institutions in one of Africa's LDCs. The governments of Tanzania and Zanzibar will invest in the university, and the IIT-Madras will create the curriculum and offer degrees jointly.
People-to-people ties, with a special emphasis on human resource development, are an important component of India and Tanzania's cooperation. The choice to establish an IIT campus in Zanzibar is evidence of this. Education and scientific research are crucial parts of Tanzania's development ambitions. The IIT will help Tanzania's human resources grow, providing it a competitive edge in Africa. It will welcome East African students, making it a cooperation model as opposed to a donor approach. The third quarter of 2023 will see the launch of programmes at IIT, along with plans for pedagogical approaches. This project will internationalise Indian education, elevating the nation and forging new alliances. Based on the advice of a 16-member committee of the IIT Council, this was decided.
As a result, it is a partnership approach as opposed to a donor model. The third quarter of 2023 will see the launch of programmes at IIT, along with plans for pedagogical approaches. This project will internationalise Indian education, elevating the nation and forging new alliances. This is based on a 16-member committee of the IIT Council's advice to get ready for setting up campuses abroad. The committee suggested that IITs take the initiative in its 2021 report. India's G20 chairmanship and leadership in the Global South are strengthened by this choice.
In 2009, the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology established the India-Tanzania Centre of Excellence in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and in 2016, the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology established the ICT Resource Centre, as per The Citizen.
Impressive results have been shown in terms of Tanzanian youngsters gaining from these efforts. The Mandela Institute is a component of a network of scientific and technological institutes throughout all of Africa.
Tanzania is one of the top recipients of scholarships and funding from the Indian government's ITEC programme for technical and economic cooperation. Its utilisation rate of 84 per cent is one of the highest among African nations. Tanzanian students have some of the best academic records among international students studying in India. One of the countries that utilised the Raman fellowships for science and technology and the agriculture fellowships the most was Tanzania.
IIT-Madras was certain it could establish a campus in Zanzibar thanks to its consistent engagement with Tanzania.
The Solar Mamas scheme, which trained rural women to become solar engineers and electrify their villages, was successfully implemented in Zanzibar. Their training facility is located in Zanzibar, which is backed by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
Due to its membership in the Indian Ocean Rim Association, which regularly engages with India and makes the most of development cooperation projects, Tanzania is a neighbour in the Indian Ocean. It has incorporated them into its own development strategies and given the required local assistance.
Zanzibar is the place where Mahatma Gandhi spent a fortnight on his way to South Africa.
The ties are providing a level for Indian economic interests, The Citizen reported. (ANI)