Tanzanian president conferred honorary doctorate by JNU

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan was awarded honorary doctorate degree by Jawaharlal Nehru University, India on Tuesday and became the first lady of Tanzania to be awarded with this honour. President Hassan reached India on Sunday on a four-day visit.

President Hassan shared some memories of her journey that she belongs to an ordinary family in an African village and how she became the President of her country.

She shared her memories related to India and said in her speech that "the world says that there is no middle ground to love India, whether it is an Indian song, an Indian film, or an Indian cuisine, it is very difficult to resist the Indian charm. I experienced this when I came to India for the first time in 1998 to study in Hyderabad".

"I stand here as a family member of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, not as a guest. This is what makes India irresistible. This is what makes India Incredible India", she said. Union Minister for Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar were also a part of the event.

EAM Jaishankar talked about Indian-Tanzanian economic relations and said "Economic relations between our countries were always a solid pillar. Our trade relations with Tanzania were several centuries old when traders from the west coast of India first traveled to East Africa along the sea route for trade and commerce".

Jaishankar said despite the global disruption, and challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, bilateral trade between the countries has seen strong growth.

Education Minister Pradhan said that India is implementing a new National Education Policy, for the development of the country which is built on the pillars of access, equity, quality, affordability, and accountability.

He said, “Tanzania is a major African partner of India and we are ready to support you for further collaboration in the higher education system".

The President of Tanzania received training education at the Indian Technical and Economic Institute at the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj in Hyderabad under the Cooperation (ITEC) programme.