Tanzanian President Hassan Honored With Honorary Doctorate By JNU

On 10 October 2023, Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, the first female President of Tanzania, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (Honorary Degree) by Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

• President Dr Hassan was given this honour for her important role in strengthening India-Tanzania relations, promoting economic diplomacy and achieving success in regional integration and multilateralism.

The first honour that President Hassan received from a foreign university:

• Addressing the occasion, Dr. Hassan acknowledged herself as a "product of Indian education".
• Dr. Hassan attributes this to her ITEC training at the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD), Hyderabad.
• This is the first award given to Dr. Hassan by a foreign university.
• President Dr Hassan said that not only the beauty of its landscapes, but also the generosity and kindness of its people makes India “Incredible India”.
• President Hassan said India is a member of an extended family, separated only by a coastline, a strategic ally, a trusted partner and a friend in all circumstances.

India has been loyal to the developing countries:

• Dr. Hassan highlighted that India has been true and loyal to the Global South and developing countries. Dr. Hassan appreciated the fact that India has upheld the importance of multilateralism, and has valued society over markets (people over profits).
• Dr. Hassan expressed her deep gratitude to the prestigious institution for having the privilege of conferring an honorary doctorate degree.
• Dr. Hassan commented that she accepted the honorary degree not as a culmination of her efforts, but as an affirmation of the limitless potential that hard work, dedication and selflessness hold for all of us.
• Dr Hassan also said that another area of convergence for the India-Africa partnership is the effective fight for an equitable and green energy transition.

Center for African Studies in JNU:

• The Center for African Studies in JNU was started in 1969. It became a Special Center in 2009 and was established by the Nelson Mandela Chair, Ministry of External Affairs.

IIT's first campus outside the country in Zanzibar:

• Dharmendra Pradhan expressed happiness that the first campus of any IIT outside the country is being established in Zanzibar. This campus is scheduled to be inaugurated in early November this year.
• He remarked that the institute will mark a milestone in educational collaboration between the two countries and continents by providing students from Tanzania and other African countries access to world-class engineering and technology education.

African partnership necessary to fulfill the aspirations of the Global South:

• Dharmendra Pradhan noted that enhancing the aspirations of the Global South, especially on education and human resource development, requires the support of India's key African partner Tanzania.
• Dharmendra Pradhan said that skill-centric and market-related higher education has to be provided to the youth of both the countries in a collaborative manner.
• Union Minister Pradhan highlighted that India has a vibrant higher education ecosystem with 55000 institutions, 42 million students and 1.6 million teachers. This needs to be further strengthened with the ambitious NEP 2020 which is bringing transformational reforms.
• Union Minister Pradhan said that access, equity, quality, affordability and accountability are the fundamental pillars of creating responsible global citizens. He said that considerable progress has been made in developing digital public infrastructure for the education system.

Under the ITEC program Tanzanian citizens are being trained to:

• On this occasion, External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar said that education and capacity building are important aspects of bilateral relations between the two countries.
• Dr Jaishankar also informed that more than 5000 Tanzanian nationals have already been trained in Indian educational institutions under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Program (ITEC Programme).
• Dr. Jaishankar said that the institute has the potential to become a major center of technical education for the entire African continent.

Tanzania: 

• Capital: Dodoma
• Currency: Tanzanian Shilling
• President: Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan
• Prime Minister: Kassim Majaliwa

Important full forms for the exam:

• NIRD: National Institute of Rural Development 
• ITEC: Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation