India–Tanzania Bilateral Relations

Tanzania and India have long enjoyed close, friendly and cooperative relations. From the 1960s to the 1980s, the political relationship rested on shared commitments to anti-colonialism, non-alignment and South–South cooperation, and close cooperation in international forums. Mwalimu Dr. Julius Nyerere, the first President of Tanzania, was held in high esteem in India; he received the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding for 1974 and the International Gandhi Peace Prize for 1995.

In recent years the relationship has grown into a modern and pragmatic partnership, with sound political understanding, diversified economic engagement, people-to-people contacts in education and healthcare, and development partnership through capacity-building training, concessional lines of credit and grant projects. The High Commission of India in Dar es Salaam has been operating since 19 November 1961, and the Consulate General of India in Zanzibar since 23 October 1974.

Relations were raised to a Strategic Partnership during the State Visit of President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan to India (8–11 October 2023).

Political relations

Regular high-level visits have been an important feature of the relationship over the last fifty years.

High-level visits from India
President V.V. Giri (1972); Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (1976 and 1980); Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi (1986); President R. Venkataraman (1989); Prime Minister I.K. Gujral (1997); President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (2004); Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh (2011); Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi (9–10 July 2016).
High-level visits from Tanzania
President Julius Nyerere (1971, 1976, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985); Prime Minister Edward M. Sokoine (1980); President Ali Hassan Mwinyi (1989 and 1993); President Benjamin William Mkapa (2002); President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete (2008 and 2015); Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda (2009); Vice President Dr. Mohamed Gharib Bilal (2015); President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan (8–11 October 2023); President of Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi (17–20 July 2026).

Recent bilateral visits and meetings

  • Deputy NSA Shri Vikram Misri visited Tanzania on 1–3 May 2022 and met the Foreign Minister, the Defence Minister and the Chief of the Tanzania People's Defence Forces.
  • The 2nd Foreign Office Consultations, at Joint Secretary level, were held in New Delhi on 16 June 2022.
  • EAM met the Foreign Minister of Tanzania on the sidelines of CHOGM in Kigali on 24 June 2022.
  • Minister of Water Mr. Jumaa Aweso took part in the 17th CII–EXIM Bank Conclave in New Delhi on 19–20 July 2022.
  • Defence Minister Dr. Stergomena Tax visited India on 25–27 August 2022.
  • The Deputy Minister of Constitutional and Legal Affairs visited New Delhi on 27 September 2022.
  • Secretary (ER), Ministry of External Affairs, Shri Dammu Ravi visited Tanzania on 6–7 October 2022.
  • Deputy Minister of Water Ms. Maryprisca Winfred Mahundi took part in the 7th India Water Week on 1–5 November 2022.
  • Zanzibar's Minister of Education and Vocational Training, Ms. Lela Muhamed Mussa, visited India on 21–25 November 2022 for the UNESCO India–Africa Hackathon in Noida, visited IIT Madras and met Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan.
  • Minister of Minerals Dr. Doto Mashaka Biteko visited India on 13–17 December 2022.
  • Minister of State for Public Service Management and Good Governance Ms. Jenista Mhagama visited India on 3–7 January 2023.
  • Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla led a parliamentary delegation to Tanzania on 18–19 January 2023.
  • Energy Minister Mr. January Yusuf Makamba led a team to India Energy Week in Bengaluru on 6–8 February 2023.
  • Defence Minister Mr. Innocent Bashungwa visited India on 12–15 February 2023 for Aero India in Bengaluru.
  • Minister of Works and Transport Prof. Makame Mbarawa led a delegation of 35 MPs to India on 6–9 March 2023.
  • EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar visited Tanzania on 5–8 July 2023, called on President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan and President of Zanzibar Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi, and met several Cabinet Ministers and members of the India–Tanzania Parliamentary Friendship Group.
  • Minister of Health Ms. Ummy Mwalimu visited India on 25–30 July 2023. She met Minister of Health and Family Welfare Shri Mansukh Mandaviya on 25 July 2023.
  • President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan made a State Visit to India on 8–11 October 2023; relations were upgraded to a Strategic Partnership.
  • MoS for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs Shri V. Muraleedharan visited Tanzania on 20–21 November 2023.
  • Minister of Constitutional and Legal Affairs Dr. Pindi Chana attended the 1st Regional Conference on Access to Legal Aid in New Delhi on 27–28 November 2023.
  • Minister of Transport Prof. Makame Mbarawa attended Wings India 2024 in Hyderabad on 18–21 January 2024.
  • Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. January Makamba took part in the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi in February 2024.
  • A 28-member delegation led by Zanzibar's Minister of Information, Youth, Culture and Sports Ms. Tabia Maulid Mwita took part in the 37th Surajkund International Crafts Mela on 2–18 February 2024.
  • Speaker of the National Assembly and IPU President Dr. Tulia Ackson visited New Delhi on 19–24 July 2024.
  • Zanzibar's Minister of Trade and Industrial Development Mr. Omar Said Shaaban and Deputy Minister Mr. Stanslaus Haroon Nyongo attended the 19th CII India–Africa Business Conclave in New Delhi on 20–22 August 2024.
  • Deputy Minister of Water Eng. Kudo Andrew Mathew took part in the 8th India Water Week in New Delhi on 17–20 September 2024.
  • Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism Dr. Pindi Chana and Zanzibar's Minister Ms. Tabia Maulid Mwita attended the International Gita Mahotsav in Haryana in December 2024.
  • Minister for Defence and National Service Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax attended Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru on 10–14 February 2025 and met Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh on 10 February.
  • Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Dr. Doto Mashaka Biteko attended India Energy Week in New Delhi on 11–14 February 2025. He took part in the ministerial session “Shaping a New World Energy Order and Trade Map” on 12 February 2025 and met Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Hardeep Singh Puri on the sidelines on 11 February 2025.
  • Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth visited Tanzania on 12–15 April 2025 to inaugurate the first Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) and the 3rd Defence Expo in Dar es Salaam.
  • Minister of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports Prof. Palamagamba John Aidan Kabudi attended the first World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in Mumbai on 1–4 May 2025.
  • Health Minister Dr. Mohamed Mchengerwa took part in the 2nd WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine in New Delhi on 17–19 December 2025 and signed an MoU between the Ministry of Ayush and the Ministry of Health of Tanzania on traditional systems of medicine, on 19 December 2025.
  • Speaker of the National Assembly Mr. Mussa Azzan Zungu took part in the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) in New Delhi on 14–16 January 2026 and met the Prime Minister, EAM and the Lok Sabha Speaker.
  • Deputy Energy Minister Ms. Salome Wycliffe Makamba took part in the 4th India Energy Week on 27–30 January 2026.
  • Joint Secretary Shri Amitabh Prasad co-chaired the 4th Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting in Zanzibar on 2–4 February 2026.
  • Minister for Communication and Information Technology Ms. Angellah Kairuki took part in the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on 19–20 February 2026 on behalf of the President of Tanzania.
  • Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Dr. Ngwaru Maghembe represented Tanzania at the 11th Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi on 5–7 March 2026.
  • Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Mr. Mahmoud Thabit Kombo took part in the 9th Indian Ocean Conference in Mauritius on 10–12 April 2026 at the invitation of EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar.
  • Commerce Secretary Shri Rajesh Agrawal visited Tanzania from 29 April to 1 May 2026 and co-chaired the 5th India–Tanzania Joint Trade Committee in Dar es Salaam with Amb. Samwel William Shelukindo, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation.
  • President of Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi paid an official visit to India on 17–20 July 2026 at the invitation of the Vice President of India.
  • Joint Secretary (E&SA) Shri Janesh Kain visited Tanzania on 22–24 July 2026 and co-chaired the 3rd Foreign Office Consultations in Dar es Salaam on 22–23 July 2026 with Ms. Felista Rugambwa, Director (Australasia Division), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation.
  • The eight (08) member parliamentary delegation from the National Assembly of Tanzania visited the Parliament of India from 14 to 18 September 2026 for a capacity-building and benchmarking program. Hon. Dr. Dotto Mashaka Biteko (MP) led the delegation. Delegation visited the Parliament Library, Parliament House (including Lok Sabha/ Rajya Sabha Chambers, Art Gallery), and the historic Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan.
  • Indian Parliamentary Delegation led by Shri Hari Bansh Narayan Singh, Hon’ble Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha and comprising Members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha visited Arusha, Tanzania to attend the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) from 5 to 9 October 2026.

Institutional mechanisms

Regular institutional dialogue includes: the India–Tanzania Joint Commission on Economic, Technical and Scientific Cooperation; the Joint Trade Committee; the Joint Working Group on Water; the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism; the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee; and the Joint Committee on Hydrography.

Commercial and economic relations

  • India is Tanzania's second-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade of USD 9.02 billion in 2025–26. India is also among the top five sources of investment in Tanzania: according to the Tanzania Investment and Special Economic Zones Authority (TISEZA), Indian investments totalled USD 4.74 billion in calendar year 2025.
  • Major Indian companies in Tanzania include Airtel (telecom), Tata Africa Holdings, Mahindra & Mahindra (tractors), Kamal Group (steel), Kalpataru (power transmission), Tanzindia (insurance, with a significant share of Indian public sector companies), Larsen & Toubro, Afcons, Hester Biosciences (animal vaccines), Mahashree Agro and Purandare Industries (sugar).
  • Escorts tractors and farm equipment, Tata, Ashok Leyland and Eicher commercial vehicles, Sonalika and Mahindra tractors, Bajaj and TVS three-wheelers, and Boxer/TVS motorcycles are widely used in Tanzania. Tata Eicher is present in the urban bus market.
  • Two Indian banks operate in Tanzania: Bank of Baroda and Bank of India.
  • Two Indian companies, Pacco Gems Limited and Nazareth Investment Company Limited, hold licences for graphite extraction.
  • India's main exports to Tanzania include petroleum products, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, motor vehicles, electrical goods, iron and steel articles, sugar and machinery. Tanzania's main exports to India include gold doré, cashew nuts, pulses, timber, spices (mainly cloves), ores and metal scrap, and gemstones.

Development partnership

See Development Partnership for details and photographs.

Grants and assistance

  • Completed IT projects: a Centre of Excellence in ICT at the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (2011), an ICT Centre at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (2016), and the Pan-African e-Network project at the University of Dar es Salaam (2010).
  • Essential medicines and vaccines worth USD 1 million, announced during PM Modi's visit in July 2016, were handed over in September 2018; a second tranche (nearly USD 1 million) on 10 September 2020; and medicines were given to Zanzibar in April 2022.
  • Under the “India for Humanity” programme, a Jaipur Foot artificial limb fitment camp at the Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute (6 June – 13 July 2019) provided 551 limbs to 520 Tanzanians free of cost. A second camp (24 November 2025 – 8 January 2026) provided 653 limbs to 622 beneficiaries from across Tanzania.
  • More than 130,000 NCERT science and mathematics textbooks for secondary schools were handed over in August 2017.
  • India gave USD 250,000 for relief after the Kagera earthquake in September 2016.
  • A “Bhabhatron-II” radiation therapy machine was installed at Bugando Medical Centre, Mwanza, in July 2016; over 100 cancer patients receive treatment daily.
  • A power back-up system for the ICT Centre at NM-AIST was gifted on 19 August 2023, and 10 ambulances to the Ministry of Health on 4 October 2023.
  • On 10 February 2026, critical life-saving equipment (three cardiac monitors, two ventilators, six infusion pumps and three syringe pumps), worth over TSh 120 million (Rs. 43,45,590), was given to Shree Hindu Mandal Hospital, Dar es Salaam.
  • On 20 April 2026, India gifted 2.5 tonnes of essential medicines and equipment, worth over TSh 840 million (Rs. 3 crore), to Shree Hindu Mandal Hospital.

Lines of credit

  • India has committed over USD 1.1 billion in lines of credit to Tanzania for water projects.
  • USD 36.56 million for trucks and other vehicles for the Tanzania People's Defence Force (2013–14), and USD 40 million for tractors and agricultural equipment (2013).
  • USD 178.125 million for water supply in Dar es Salaam and the coastal Chalinze region. The Upper Ruvu to Dar es Salaam package was inaugurated by the late President Dr. John Pombe Magufuli on 21 June 2017; the Chalinze distribution works were completed in April 2023.
  • USD 268.35 million for extending the Lake Victoria pipeline to Tabora, Igunga and Nzega, inaugurated by the late President Dr. John Magufuli on 30 January 2021. The balance was used for water supply in Tinde and Sheuli villages.
  • USD 500 million for water infrastructure in several towns, signed on 10 May 2018. L&T, Afcons–Vijeta JV, Megha Engineering and Jindal Water Infrastructure are implementing it; contracts were signed in Dodoma on 6 June 2022, and work has been under way since April 2023.

Capacity building

  • Tanzania is a major beneficiary of ITEC training and ICCR scholarships. India offers 1,000 ITEC and 85 ICCR scholarships to Tanzania every year. Since ITEC was extended to Tanzania in 1972, over 10,000 Tanzanians have benefited.
  • For FY 2026–27, ICCR scholarship slots for Tanzania have been raised from 85 to 135, the highest for any country in Africa.
  • Hundreds of Tanzanian officials and professionals benefit every year from these fully funded programmes.

IIT Madras Zanzibar

The first offshore campus of IIT Madras was inaugurated in Zanzibar on 6 November 2023. It offers a BS in Data Science and AI and in Chemical Process Engineering, and an MTech in Data Science and AI and in Ocean Structures. The first Master's batch graduated in 2025 with 100% placement or PhD admission. The campus has over 130 full-time students from Zanzibar, mainland Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and India; 50% are African and over 30% are women. Under the faculty development programme, 36 Tanzanian students have enrolled in Master's and PhD courses at IIT Madras, Chennai, and 7 at other IITs, under ICCR scholarships since 2023.

Defence and security cooperation

  • India and Tanzania signed an MoU on Defence Cooperation in October 2003. Tanzanian defence personnel train in Indian institutions, and an Indian Military Training Team has been deployed at the Command and Staff College, Arusha, since December 2017. JDCC meetings: 1st in New Delhi (15 January 2021); 2nd in Arusha (28–29 June 2023), where a five-year roadmap was signed; 3rd in Goa (26 November 2024); 4th in Zanzibar (2–4 February 2026), which discussed military training, maritime security, defence industry collaboration, peacekeeping, electronic warfare, cyber and AI training.
  • Indian naval survey ships have carried out hydrographic surveys of Tanzanian ports. 100 copies of 6 navigational charts and 7 ENCs were handed over during PM Modi's visit in July 2016.
  • The High Commission organised DefExpos in Dar es Salaam on 30 May 2022 (16 companies), 2 October 2023 (19 companies) and 13 April 2025 (22 companies).
  • Ship visits: INS Tarkash (26–29 October 2022, with the first India–Tanzania–Mozambique trilateral exercise); INS Trishul (5–9 July 2023); ICGS Varaha (Zanzibar, 23–26 February 2024); INS Tir and ICGS Sarathi (Zanzibar, 22–24 March 2024); the second trilateral exercise (March 2024); INS Suvarna (19–21 October 2024), when an infantry weapon training simulator was handed over to the TPDF.
  • INS Chennai, INS Kesari and IOS Sagar took part in the first Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME), 13–18 April 2025, co-hosted by India and Tanzania with Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles and South Africa.
  • INS Trikand visited Dar es Salaam on 3–6 April 2026 for joint exercises with the TPDF Navy, in line with India's MAHASAGAR vision.

Culture

  • The Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), Dar es Salaam, set up under ICCR in December 2010, offers classes in yoga, vocal music, tabla and Hindi, and organises performances, yoga and AYUSH events and exhibitions across Tanzania. ICCR regularly sends Indian cultural troupes to perform in Tanzania and sponsors Tanzanian troupes at the Surajkund Crafts Mela in Faridabad every year. Tanzania was the partner country at the 37th Surajkund Mela, where a 28-member delegation led by Zanzibar's Minister of Culture Ms. Tabia Maulid Mwita took part, and at the International Gita Mahotsav 2024 in Kurukshetra, Haryana (28 November – 15 December 2024).
  • The High Commission and the National Museum of Tanzania curated an “India–Tanzania Friendship Exhibition”, inaugurated at the National Museum on 26 January 2024 by the Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Ms. Angellah Kairuki, and held a seminar on the “contribution of Indian diaspora in developmental journey of Tanzania and shaping India–Tanzania relations” on 7 March 2024.
  • On 24 January 2026, High Commissioner H.E. Shri Bishwadip Dey inaugurated the first-ever Indian Film Festival in Tanzania at Century Cinemax, Vijana Mall, celebrating the legacy of Indian cinema.
  • The 12th International Day of Yoga 2026 (“Yoga for Healthy Ageing”) was celebrated in 35 towns and cities of Tanzania with more than 3,500 people, and at 25 places in Dar es Salaam with more than 2,500 people, including Dodoma, Arusha, Morogoro, Mwanza, Tanga, Iringa, Tabora, Bagamoyo, Handeni, Pangani, Muheza, Kilwa, Ifakara, Chunya, Rujewa, Njombe, Kiomboi, Singida, Manyoni, Chamwino, Mugumu, Kasulu, Mpanda, Sikonge, Urambo, Kaliua, Kayanga, Chato and Geita.

Indian diaspora

  • About 40,000 people of Indian origin live in Tanzania, mainly in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza, Dodoma, Morogoro, Zanzibar and Mbeya. Most trace their roots to Kutch and Kathiawad in Gujarat; their ancestors came from the early 19th century as merchants, sailors and workers. About 15,000–20,000 Indian nationals, mostly professionals, work in Tanzania.
  • Four people of Indian origin from Tanzania have received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman: Mr. Jayantilal Keshavji Chande (2005), Dr. Rajni Kanabar (2010), Ms. Hajiat Shamim Parkar Khan (2019) and Dr. Kaushik Laxmidas Ramaiya (2025).
  • About twenty Indian and Asian community organisations celebrate Indian festivals and hold social events, often with local participation.
  • To mark Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the High Commission held “Celebrating the Elders”, screening documentaries on Mama Shamim Parkar Khan, Mr. Yogesh Manek, Dr. Kaushik L. Ramaiya and Mr. Sardar Kamaljit Hanspaul.

Date: 20 October 2026

Last updated on: 23 October 2026