India and Tanzania Strengthen Trade, Defence, and Digital Cooperation at Third Foreign Office Consultations

India and Tanzania held the third round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday, reaffirming their commitment to expanding cooperation across a wide range of sectors, including trade, defence, digital public infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, and investment. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Indian delegation was headed by Janesh Kain, Joint Secretary (East & Southern Africa), while the Tanzanian side was led by Felister Rugambwa, Director of the Asia and Australasia Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation.

During his visit, Kain also met Ambassador Samwel William Shelukindo, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, on the sidelines of the consultations. The discussions covered the entire spectrum of India-Tanzania relations. Both countries reviewed progress in trade and investment, development cooperation, defence and security collaboration, digital public infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, cultural exchanges, and initiatives aimed at strengthening people-to-people connections.

To maintain momentum in these areas, the two sides agreed to convene the next meetings of the Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) and the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee at mutually agreed dates. Apart from bilateral issues, officials exchanged perspectives on regional and global developments and welcomed the close coordination between India and Tanzania at the United Nations and other multilateral platforms. Both nations also agreed that the next round of Foreign Office Consultations will be hosted by India.

Recent High-Level Engagement: The consultations come shortly after the official visit of Hussein Ali Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, who travelled to India from July 17 to 20 at the invitation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's successor, Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan. President Mwinyi was accompanied by First Lady Mariyam Mwinyi. During the visit, President Mwinyi and Vice President Radhakrishnan reviewed the growing partnership between the two countries and explored opportunities to deepen cooperation in sectors such as the blue economy, tourism, technology, healthcare, and education.

The leaders also welcomed the steady growth in bilateral trade, investment, and development cooperation. President Mwinyi invited the Indian Vice President to undertake an official visit to Tanzania, an invitation that was accepted. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also met President Mwinyi during the visit. Their discussions highlighted the broad development partnership between the two countries, including the expansion of IIT Madras Zanzibar, which is being developed as a centre of excellence for higher education in Africa. The latest diplomatic engagement reflects the shared commitment of India and Tanzania to further strengthen their longstanding relationship through regular dialogue, strategic cooperation, and expanding economic and developmental partnerships.