India extends $92 million Line of Credit to Tanzania

Prime Minister said the two countries are also working on a number of other water projects for 17 cities in Tanzania

Seeking to enhance its ties with resource-rich Tanzania, India on Sunday extended its support to the former to meet its development needs and signed five agreements, including one for providing a line of credit of $92 million in the water resources sector.

Describing India as a trusted partner in meeting Tanzania’s development priorities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he along with President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli “agreed to deepen our overall defence and security partnership, especially in the maritime domain.”

“Our in-depth discussions on regional and global issues reflected our considerable convergence on issues of common interest and concern,” he said. “India’s cooperation with Tanzania will always be as per your needs and priorities,” Modi said at a joint press interaction after his bilateral meeting with President Magufuli.

The two sides signed an agreement under which India will provide a line of credit of $92 million for rehabilitation and improvement of Zanzibar’s water supply system.

Other agreements signed include an MoU on water resource management and development, MoU for establishment of vocational training centre at Zanzibar, MoU on visa waiver for diplomatic/official passport holders and an agreement between National Small Industries Corporation of India and Small Industries Development Organisation Tanzania.

In Nairobi

Later in the day the prime minister visited Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, where he described terrorism as one of the two major challenges facing the world. Modi said all forces believing in humanity must come together to defeat this “anti-humanity” menace.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta accompanied Modi to the Kasarani Stadium where he addressed a gathering of around 20,000 Indians and people of Indian origin, soon after his arrival from Tanzania.