Tanzanian president conferred with honorary Doctorate degree at JNU, matte of pride, says Jaishankar

New Delhi: Visiting Tanzanian president Samia Suluhu Hassan was on Tuesday conferred with an Honorary Doctorate (Honoris Causa) degree at Jawaharlal Nehru University in the presence of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

“This degree will forever be etched in my memory as the first to be awarded to me by a foreign country,” Hassan said at the event.

“To us Tanzanians, India is not simply a country but an extended family member separated by a crossline, a strategic ally, a dependable partner and a friend,” the Tanzanian president added.

Expressing her love for India, Hassan said, “The world says, there is no midway in falling in love with India, be it an Indian song, an Indian movie, or Indian cuisine, it is very difficult to resist an Indian charm. I experienced it when I came to India for the first time in 1998 to study in Hyderabad. I stand here as a family member of Jawaharlal Nehru University and no more as a visiting guest. This is what makes India irresistible. This is what makes India, the Incredible India.”

Speaking on the occasion, Jaishankar said, “It is a matter of great pride for us to confer the honorary doctorate on Tanzanian president Samia Suluhu Hassan. I take particular satisfaction in this as an alumnus of this university. By honouring her with an educational conferment, we not only recognise a long association with India but highlight this particular aspect of our relationship. Over 5,000 Tanzanian nationals have been trained in educational institutions in India. India also plays host to several Tanzanian students who study in India and in our universities, young minds brim with confidence as they shape India’s future through the startups, inventions and innovations.”

Jaishankar further added that “Tanzania, is the preferred destination to set up the first overseas campus of the Indian Institute of Technology in Zanzibar. Classes for the first batch are scheduled to begin this month. The institution has the potential to become the premier centre for technical education for the entire African continent. It is symbolic of our cooperation with the Global South. It is a personal privilege to have been present in Zanzibar at its inauguration. I believe 70 students have been finalised”.

Highlighting the inclusion of the African Union into the G20 as a full member, Jaishankar said that the rise of Africa is central to global rebalancing.

“Most of our embassies that we have opened in the last decade, are in that continent. India and Tanzania enjoy traditionally close and friendly relations marked by some political understanding regular high-level visits, diversified economic engagement, and strong people-to-people contacts,” he informed.

Referring to the economic ties between India and Tanzania, the External Affairs Minister said, “Economic ties between our two countries have always been a strong pillar…Our trade relations with Tanzania date back several centuries, when traders from the western coast of India first travelled to East Africa, along the maritime route for trade and commerce. Despite the global disruption and challenges posed by the pandemic, our bilateral trade has witnessed strong growth from both sides.”

“Education and capacity building are important facets of our (India-Tanzania) bilateral ties. Over 5,000 Tanzanian nationals have been trained in educational institutions in India under our I-TECH programme,” Jaishankar highlighted.

–IANS