The United Kingdom will provide USD 450 million to support various development projects in Tanzania.
The announcement was made on 23rd August 2017 by Rory Stewart, Minister of State for Africa at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at the Department for International Development (DFID), when meeting with Tanzanian President Hon John Magufuly in Dar Es Salaam.
Stewart indicated that the funds will be allocated to a wide range of developments areas, in particular in promoting wider access to education, strengthening infrastructure, especially roads and port, and increasing industrialization, particularly in agribusiness, including cotton and meat production.
During the meeting, Stewart also praised President Magufuli for the great work done by his government in the fight against corruption and for the initiatives undertaken to enhance access to education.
“I’ve visited one school in Dar es Salaam, and I’ve seen how the policy of free education significantly increased the number of pupils,” Stewart commented.
He also stressed that the British government will continue to support Tanzania to improve the welfare of its citizens.
For his part, President Magufuli thanked Minister Stewart for supporting the country and ensured him that the funds provided by the UK are well managed.
Dr. Magufuli also reminded that Britain is the largest contributor to the development of Tanzania and the leading investor in the country.
UK – Tanzania Relations
Tanzania ranks fifth in the top five countries receiving UK’s aid through the DFID with 48 active projects totaling GBP178 million.
At the end of 2015, the governments of the UK and Tanzania signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on social development representing a total investment of GBP110 million.
The UK is the largest supplier of foreign direct investment (FDI) to Tanzania with 36% market share, followed by the US and China.
The UK is also the second largest source of international visitors to Tanzania from overseas countries in 2015 with 54,599 arrivals.