DAR ES SALAAM: PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has underscored Tanzania’s commitment to maintaining strong relations with global partners without aligning itself to any geopolitical bloc, saying the country will continue to work with all nations that can contribute to its economic development.
Speaking to journalists accompanying her during her state visit to Russia, she said Tanzania’s relationship with Russia dates back to the country’s independence in 1961, noting that the Soviet Union was among the first nations to recognise Tanganyika, Zanzibar’s revolutionary government in 1964 and later the Union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar.
She said Russia played a significant role in Africa’s liberation struggles and later supported the continent’s development by providing educational opportunities to thousands of Africans, including Tanzanians.
“Russia has been our partner since the 1960s. We came here to reaffirm that Tanzania still values this relationship, that we still need each other and that there are many areas where we can work together for mutual benefit,” she said.
President Samia stressed that Tanzania’s foreign policy remains rooted in non-alignment, allowing the country to cooperate with partners from different regions of the world based on economic interests rather than political affiliations. She cited China, India, Japan, Europe and the United States as key partners that continue to contribute to Tanzania’s development through trade, investment, infrastructure, education and tourism.
“Tanzania does not choose sides. We welcome everyone who is willing to work with us and contribute to our economic growth,” she said. President Samia also highlighted several opportunities expected to emerge from closer cooperation with Russia, particularly in agriculture, manufacturing, education and tourism. She said Russian investors have already been allocated thousands of hectares of land in Morogoro for banana production and are exploring additional agricultural investments.
The President also pointed to opportunities in agro-processing, pharmaceutical production, vaccine manufacturing and the development of the Mkuju uranium project, which she said is expected to create about 20,000 jobs for Tanzanians.
On education, she said Tanzania currently receives around 150 Russian scholarships annually and that President Vladimir Putin had agreed to increase the number.
She further announced that Air Tanzania Company Limited is expected to launch flights to Russia from July 2 this year, a move aimed at boosting tourism, trade and student travel between the two countries.
President Samia also revealed that Tanzania is exploring nuclear energy development as part of its long-term plan to increase electricity generation.
She said discussions are ongoing with Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom and its Tanzanian subsidiary, Mantra Tanzania, which is developing the Mkuju uranium project.
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According to the President, Tanzania aims to significantly expand power generation under Vision 2050, with nuclear energy expected to play an important role in the country’s future energy mix.
She described the visit as highly successful, saying Russia had demonstrated readiness to invest in Tanzania, purchase Tanzanian products and support value addition initiatives, including cashew processing.
President Samia also said Tanzania plans to strengthen cultural ties with Russia by introducing Russian language studies at the University of Dodoma following growing interest from Russian investors and tourists.