By Alfred Zacharia
The third round of political consultations between Tanzania and Norway took place in Dar es Salaam on January 9, 2025.
During the meeting, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their bilateral relationship.
The discussions focused on reviewing the current state of their relations and identifying new areas for future cooperation.
Tanzania's delegation was led by the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Cosato Chumi, who represented the Minister, Mahmoud Thabit Kombo.
This meeting was part of the ongoing implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2017, which established a framework for annual political dialogues to enhance the partnership between the two nations.
Chumi emphasized several key areas of cooperation, including development projects, trade, energy, health, education, climate change, and agriculture.
He also highlighted the shared priorities of both countries in addressing global challenges, such as climate change, human rights, and global peace and security.
He urged both countries to work together to unlock new opportunities, pointing out the growing trade and investment between Tanzania and Norway.
However, he also noted that there are still underutilized opportunities in sectors such as infrastructure, energy, agricultural processing, and technology transfer.
On his part, Norway's Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik, expressed pride in the long-standing cooperation between the two nations.
He confirmed Norway's willingness to continue strengthening their ties.
Kravik encouraged more collaboration between both government sectors and non-governmental organizations to address common challenges, such as climate change, poverty, and health crises.
He also praised Tanzania's leadership in the global fight against climate change and commended the Clean Cooking Energy Initiative led by Tanzania’s President, Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Additionally, he expressed gratitude for President Samia’s state visit to Norway last year, which he described as a key moment in strengthening their enduring partnership.
The consultations concluded with both countries reaffirming their commitment to further enhancing their cooperation and exploring new areas of partnership for mutual benefit.
