This is his second official visit to
Africa as head of government - nine months after the Third India-Africa
Summit, attended by about 50 African heads of state, as India eyes to
ramp up its Africa engagement.
Foreign Affairs, East Africa, Regional
and International Cooperation Minister Augustine Mahiga told reporters
in the city that during his visit, Mr Modi will meet with a group of
rural women from poor communities trained by a college in India as solar
technicians to help light-up their villages.
“The aim of the visit is to further
deepen India’s engagement with Africa and provide opportunities to build
close contacts at the highest political level and enhance mutual
cooperation and understanding on major issues of common interests,” he
said.
Dr Mahiga said before he departs to
Kenya, Mr Modi will meet with the Indian community living in Tanzania.
At the India-Africa summit in October, India pledged 10 billion US
dollars in soft loans over the next ten years and 600 million US dollars
in grants.
According to Dr Mahiga, the Indian
premier will hold talks with President John Magufuli and sign agreements
on various areas including industry, water, education science and
technology.
Mr Modi is accompanied by 50 big and
potential business people from India, some of whom have shown interest
to invest in the construction of steel, cement, pharmaceutical and fruit
juice factories.
The Indian delegation will also hold
talks with local businessmen engaging in agriculture, manufacturing,
infrastructure, health, education, energy and water sectors. They will
also get an opportunity to take part in a conference, which will be
hosted by the Prime Minister of Tanzania, Mr Kassim Majaliwa.
Other activities lined up for Mr Modi
include taking part in the Tanzania-India Business and Investment Forum,
which will be hosted by Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC), Tanzania
Private Sector Foundation (TPSF), India Business Forum Tanzania (IBF)
and Federation Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The forum is
expected to take place on July 10 at the Bank of Tanzania (BoT)’s
Kilimanjaro Auditorium in the city.
India is Tanzania’s largest trading
partner in Africa, with bilateral trade in 2013-14 reaching more than 4
billion US dollars. The maiden visit by Mr Modi in the country opens a
new epoch of Indo-Tanzania relations, which both countries stand to
benefit, in terms of fulfilling their ambitions.
As India is working to achieve over 8
per cent growth in the coming years, Tanzania is equally ambitious to
embark on industrialisation, which makes India a potential partner to
that end.
Being one of the world’s most populous
nations, the vast sub-continent has a lot to offer in terms of imparting
expertise in various fields. It is a science, technology, agricultural,
arts hub all rolled into one.
The technological advancements it has
made are surely an area where we stand to benefit. India is the largest
trading partner of Tanzania in Africa, with bilateral trade in 2013-14
being more than 4 billion US dollars.
Tanzania and India have a long history
of cooperation at political, social and trade levels. According to TIC, a
record, from 1990 to June, this year, the centre has registered a total
of 442 Investment projects with Indian interest valued at 2.1 billion
US dollars.
Large inflows were recorded in the
industrial sector, which accounted for almost 53 per cent of registered
projects during the period.
FACT SHEET:NARENDRA DAMODARDAS MODI- Position: 14th Prime Minister of India.
- Political Party: Bharatiya Janata Party
- Born: September 17, 1950
- Date of assuming office: May 26, 2014.
- Predecessor: Manmohan Singh.
- Previous posts: 14th Chief Minister of Gujarat
- Alma Mater: University of Delhi, Gujarat University
- Religion: Hinduism
