Deputy Minister of Finance, Eng. Mshamu Ali Munde (Mb), has stated that Tanzania will continue to work closely with Austria to ensure that the goals of the new Austria-Africa Strategy for the year 2026 to 2029 are achieved as planned.
Eng. Munde said this when he met and spoke with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria, Mrs. Hannah Liko, at a session that discussed issues of Austria’s strategy to strengthen relations with African countries including cooperation in economic growth between Austria and Tanzania, at the conference hall of the Sub-Offices of the Ministry of Finance, in Dar es Salaam.
He said that the new Austria-Africa Strategy for the year 2026 to 2029 is focused on four main areas which are peace and security, economic cooperation, migration, as well as education and science.
“The Government of Tanzania under the leadership of His Excellency the President, Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, is ready to collaborate with Austria to implement the strategy for the development of the people of both sides and looks forward to seeing further cooperation in the public and private sectors”, said Engineer Munde.
He explained that in the field of peace, both sides aim to strengthen stability through cooperation with the United Nations in conflict prevention, while on the economic side, they aim to promote investment and green economy opportunities to create jobs and improve infrastructure.
Engineer Munde said the strategy will address the issue of migration by combating human trafficking and promoting productive legal migration, while in the education sector, centers of excellence and scholarship programs will be established in the fields of water, energy, health and digital systems.
He said this new Strategy is seen as an important bridge towards Tanzania’s Vision 2050, emphasizing equitable and mutually beneficial cooperation and encouraging the Austrian private sector to utilize the various opportunities available in the country including in the agricultural, energy and environmental sectors to be able to invest in the country.
Engineer Munde thanked Austria for its support which is in line with the priorities of the Third National Development Plan (FYDP III) as well as the 2025 Development Vision, as the country moves towards officially starting the implementation of the new 2050 Development Vision that was recently launched.
“Austria is financing major strategic projects in the country worth 30 million Euros through soft loans for the renovation and upgrading of the Karume Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) Zanzibar for 7 million Euros, the upgrading of the Zanzibar education system for 6 million Euros, the purchase of fire engines and rescue equipment for Zanzibar for 10 million Euros, as well as the renovation of the Arusha Technical College (ATC) which cost 7 million Euros”, explained Engineer Munde.
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria, Mrs. Hannah Liko, commended Tanzania for its ongoing steps in economic growth, explaining that peace has contributed significantly to attracting foreign investors, stressing that it is important to continue to use this opportunity to promote itself more to attract investors.
She said her country will continue to cooperate with African countries including Tanzania in ensuring that the private sector is fully involved in economic opportunities in order to strengthen them so that they can contribute to increasing employment in the country and improving the lives of citizens.
He said the country has companies operating in the country, including Andritz, which has contributed to hydropower projects, a coffee project, and a cashew project, where the presence of Austrian companies has been largely contributed to the peace in the country, so there is a possibility that the country will increase further investment.
