This article outlines the diplomatic relationship between India and Tanzania: its background, the Strategic Partnership agreed in 2023, visits by heads of state and government, recent ministerial visits, and the institutional mechanisms for dialogue. It is based on the MEA brief of April 2026 and reflects the position described in that brief.

Background

According to the MEA brief of April 2026, Tanzania and India have had traditionally close, friendly and co-operative relations. The brief notes that from the 1960s to the 1980s, the political relationship involved shared commitments to anti-colonialism, non-alignment and South-South Cooperation, and close cooperation in international fora.

The brief notes that the then President of Tanzania, (Mwalimu) Dr. Julius Nyerere, was held in high esteem in India. He was conferred the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding for 1974, and the International Gandhi Peace Prize for 1995.

In recent years, the brief states, the ties have evolved into a modern and pragmatic relationship. It lists political understanding, diversified economic engagement, people-to-people contacts in education and healthcare, and a development partnership in capacity building training, concessional credit lines and grant projects.

Strategic Partnership

Bilateral relations were elevated to a Strategic Partnership during the State Visit of the President of Tanzania, Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, to India on 8-11 October 2023.

Visits by leaders

The brief describes periodic high-level visits as an important feature of political ties over the last fifty years.

Visits from India have included:

  • President Mr. V.V. Giri in 1972
  • Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi (1976 and 1980)
  • Prime Minister Mr. Rajiv Gandhi (1986)
  • President Mr. R. Venkataraman (1989)
  • Prime Minister Mr. I.K. Gujral (1997)
  • President Mr. APJ Abdul Kalam (2004)
  • Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh (2011)
  • Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, on 9-10 July 2016

Visits from Tanzania have included:

  • 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)

Recent visits

The brief records the following visits in 2025 and 2026:

  • Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax, Minister for Defence & National Service of Tanzania, attended Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru from 10-14 February 2025, and met Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh on 10 February 2025.
  • Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth visited Tanzania from 12-15 April 2025 for the inauguration of the 1st edition of the Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) and the 3rd Defence Expo in Dar es Salaam.
  • Dr. Mohamed Mchengerwa, Health Minister, took part in the 2nd WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine in New Delhi from 17-19 December 2025.
  • H.E. Mussa Azzan Zungu, Speaker of the National Assembly of Tanzania, Bunge la Tanzania, took part in the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) in New Delhi from 14 to 16 January 2026, and met the Prime Minister, EAM and the Speaker of Lok Sabha.
  • H.E. Ms. Angella Kairuki, Minister for Communication and Information Technology, took part in the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi from 19-20 February 2026 on behalf of the President of Tanzania.
  • Dr. Ngwaru Maghembe, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, represented Tanzania at the 11th edition of the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi from 5-7 March 2026.
  • After the brief, an MEA programme issued on 16 July 2026 scheduled an official visit to India by Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar, from 17 to 20 July 2026, including meetings with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Vice President Shri C.P. Radhakrishnan.

Institutional mechanisms

The brief states that relations are supported by regular institutionalised dialogues through:

  • the India-Tanzania Joint Commission on Economic, Technical and Scientific Cooperation
  • the Joint Trade Committee
  • the Joint Working Groups on Water
  • the JWG on Counter Terrorism
  • the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee
  • the Joint Committee on Hydrography