Poland has offered Tanzania US $10m in loans to support Dar es Salaam’s Agriculture and Water sectors. The funds will also be accompanied with expertise, according to the Deputy Director of Department of Economic Cooperation, in the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Konrad Pawlik.
According to Pawlik, Polish companies were involved in the implementation of the loan by building a tractor assembling facility and constructing grain storage in Tanzania for food security.
In addition, Mr Pawlik mentioned that in September this year they jointly launched a joint project on water management in Dodoma. The project is funded by Poland and reportedly costs US $56,813.
He further added that later on this year in November there will be a study visit to Poland of a group of Tanzanian experts. Tanzanian experts are also expected to visit Poland for purposes of benchmarking as far as water management systems are concerned. This includes their development as well as management practices.
Meanwhile, the Polish government has also promised to strengthen its cooperation with Tanzania in various areas such as education, health, tourism, agriculture and water management system. Mr Pawlik noted that development cooperation is a full involvement of both sides in the matters concerned.
According to the Polish Deputy Director of the Department of Africa and the Middle East, Mr Michal Cygan, Tanzania has been a priority country. This is evident in Ignacy Lukasiewicz full scholarships program for candidates from Africa and Asia.
Mr Cygan noted that Tanzania was one of the five priority beneficiaries of the Polish development aid in Africa. He also pointed out other African countries listed in the program; Kenya, Ethiopia, Senegal and Uganda.
