The Indian High Commission in Dar-es-salaam is embarking on a special mission to engage indigenous Tanzanian communities across the country through a marathon of cross-country consular camps.
The High Commissioner of India, Bishwadip Dey revealed here that his office has now decided to organize at least six consular camps across the country every year.
“As I begin my duties, I intend to travel across various regions of Tanzania and engage more proactively with the local communities. To bring the Indian High Commission closer to Tanzanians and Indian diaspora residing outside Dar es Salaam,” said the envoy.
Speaking during the Indian Cultural night of Kalakendra in Arusha, Ambassador Dey revealed that the first such consular camp shall be organized in the Tanga Region in September 2024.
“I am even more determined to continue striving to bring the High Commission much closer to the Indians and Tanzanians present all over the country,” said the High Commissioner.
On the other hand, the Kalakendra night cultural performance went in sync with the 78th Anniversary of the India Independence which was first observed in Dar-es-salaam, then Arusha and soon also to be celebrated in Zanzibar.
The Arumeru District Commissioner, Emmanuela Kaganda who graced the occasion, said apart from the usual trade and commercial cooperation, India has remained the most reliable academic partner to Tanzania’s education sector.
“At the moment there are more than 5000 young Tanzanians who are currently studying in India, in addition to a number of others who enjoy scholarships issued by the Indian Government,” said DC Kaganda.
The District Commissioner also pointed out that India has been at forefront in assisting Tanzania in the field of medicine, especially provision of health services.
On his part, the coordinator of Kalakendra, Arusha Jayesh Chandra said the Indian Cultural Association in the region has also accomplished various humanitarian projects to mark the occasion.
“As part of our charity activities, this year we built a Kitchen for the Olorien Primary School which will benefit more than 850 pupils at the institution,” he said.
“In the coming years also we are pledging to do a similar project at a needy school in consultation with the authorities,” added Chandra.
Following the establishment of the India Cultural Centre in Arusha, the facility, apart from promoting cultural exchange activities between India and Tanzania, has been assisting hundreds of people in acquiring Visas, Overseas Citizens of India, Passport Renewals and other consular services.
Also in association with the High Commission of India, we organized a consular camp, International Day of Yoga, assisted in organizing the Business Symposium and facilitated the aptitude test in Arusha, for Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) aspirants.
It was also stated during the ceremony that the first overseas campus of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras was inaugurated in Zanzibar in November 2023 as well as water projects funded by Indian Line of Credit (LOC) were also inaugurated in Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania.
“We continue to share our expertise with our Tanzanian friends through our Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programs,” explained the envoy.
The bilateral trade between India and Tanzania is said to be growing positively, reaching the volume of nearly USD 8 Billion as of now and counting.
Meanwhile the Indian High Commissioner to Tanzania, Mr Bishwadip Dey said the volume of trade between the two countries was recorded at USD 7.9 billion by the end of the year 2023 and the figure could have grown even higher since then.
According to the Indian statistics, Tanzania has also become India’s second-largest trade partner on the African continent, demonstrating the successful efforts of both governments.