Magufuli, Sweden minister hold talks to foster relations
President John Magufuli holds talks with Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation Peter Eriksson at State House in Dar es Salaam yesterday. Left is Swedish ambassador to Tanzania Anders Sjoberg. PHOTO | STATE HOUSE
What you need to know:
President John Magufuli yesterday met and held talks with the Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation Peter Eriksson who is in the country for a three-day working visit. The meeting comes after almost ten days after Mr Erickson said, in a statement, that he will come to Tanzania, saying Sweden has several reasons to worry about the democratic development in Tanzania.
Dar es Salaam. President John Magufuli yesterday held talks with the Swedish minister for International Development Cooperation Peter Eriksson who is in the country for a three-day tour.
The talks come 10 days after Mr Erickson said, in a statement, that he will come to Tanzania following worrying reports of Tanzania’s democratic progress.
In a statement he released yesterday, the presidential communications director, Mr Gerson Msigwa, did not disclose what exactly they discussed, but the The Citizen understands that the visit was meant to forge fresh cooperation between the two countries. Sweden has expressed concerns over the development of democracy and human rights in the country and it has tasked its international development agency, Sida, to come up with a new strategy for cooperation with Tanzania.
“Mr Erickson lauded the government for its endeavours to stem the tide of corruption and expressed his government’s intention to strengthen ties with Tanzania,” read part of the statement. The meeting was also attended by the Swedish ambassador to Tanzania Anders Sjöberg and the minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Prof Palamagamba Kabudi.
In another development, President Magufuli also hosted the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Gilbert Houngbo at the State House.
At the meeting, Mr Houngbo disclosed IFAD’s plan to set aside a total of Sh127.3 billion to fund different agricultural projects in the country for a period of three years, starting from 2020.
