Canada-Tanzania relations
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Bilateral relations
Canada established diplomatic relations with Tanzania in 1961 following the latter’s independence. In Tanzania, Canada maintains a High Commission in Dar es Salaam, which is concurrently accredited to Zambia, Comoros and Seychelles. In Canada, Tanzania maintains a High Commission in Ottawa.
Canada and Tanzania have shared interests in international fora such as the United Nations and the Commonwealth on important issues such as gender equality, combatting climate change, sustainable development, refugees and regional peace and security. Canada values the role Tanzania plays in regional security, notably its participation in the UN stabilization mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) and in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
Since the 1960s, Canada has supported training for Tanzania’s armed forces. In 2014, Canada contributed $1.3 million to build the new Tanzanian Peacekeeping Training Center in Dar es Salaam. Canada also provided support to Tanzania through the Cutlass Express training exercises by the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard in 2018 and 2019.
Trade relations
In 2021, two-way merchandise trade between Canada and Tanzania totaled $217.8 million, consisting of $194.1 million in exports to, and $23.7 million in imports from Tanzania.
Tanzania is a growing market for Canadian businesses, and Canadian mining companies are among the largest foreign investors in Tanzania. Business opportunities for Canadian companies active in Tanzania exist in power, renewable energy, and the emerging oil and gas sector. Canada is a strong advocate for responsible business practices in Tanzania, having sponsored conferences with strong participation from the Government of Tanzania, the business community and civil society organizations.
In the framework of Canada’s Market Access Initiative for Least Developed Countries, Tanzania has duty-free access to the Canadian market for almost all commodities. A bilateral Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA) came into force in December 2013.
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International assistance
Tanzania is one of the largest recipients of Canada's international assistance ($133.9 M in 2020-21). Canada has contributed $3.4 billion in development assistance to Tanzania since its independence.
Canada’s bilateral development programming in Tanzania focuses on three action areas of Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy: Human Dignity, Growth that Works for Everyone and Inclusive Governance. Canada is among the largest bilateral donors in the health sector, providing significant support in health system strengthening, as well as sexual and reproductive health and rights. Canada is a lead bilateral donor in education, where our assistance is increasingly concentrated on teacher training aimed at improving the quality of education, especially for girls. Canada is also fostering broad-based and sustainable growth by supporting small and medium enterprises, skills development and economically empowering women.
Support for inclusive governance through capacity building of local women’s rights organizations is another key pillar of programming. Canada provides humanitarian assistance to Tanzania through the UN High Commission for Refugees, the World Food Programme, and INGOs. For more information on our assistance, please see the Project Browser.
Partnerships and organizations
To develop effective responses to today’s most pressing global challenges, Canada and Tanzania work closely in multilateral fora, such as:
- Commonwealth
- International Criminal Court (ICC)
- United Nations (UN)
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- World Trade Organization (WTO)
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