Tanzania receives around 37,000 to 40,000 tourists from India every year, according to Baraka Haran Luvanda, High Commissioner of the United Republic of Tanzania, Tanzania High Commission, New Delhi.
Speaking to reporters shortly after inaugurating the 16th International Conference on Science, Engineering and Technology at VIT, he said India was one of the largest contributors to the tourism industry in Tanzania. “India is the largest trader in Tanzania and also the fifth largest investor in our country. There are so many Indian companies in Tanzania,” he said.
He pointed out that 70,000 Indians have settled in Tanzania. “Ten Tanzanians of Indian origin have also been elected to the Parliament,” he added.
Collaboration with VIT
He said Tanzania is looking ahead for collaborating with VIT. “We want to forge strong relations with VIT. We are talking about industrialisation in Tanzania, and we need engineers. We need VIT to establish a centre of excellence in Tanzania so that we could have engineers,” he said.
He said that around 2,500 students from Tanzania were studying in institutions in India. “We want VIT to take more number of students from Tanzania. Institutions in Punjab and Bengaluru have huge numbers of students from Tanzania,” he said.
Earlier speaking at the conference, he said that four Tanzanian students were studying at VIT. “I believe the number will grow as we continue to consolidate this relationship. The knowledge and experience that they will bring back to Tanzania will certainly help us advance the quest for social, economic and scientific development,” he said.
Noting that developments in science and technology in the recent past have been mind-boggling, he said, “Changes in the technological field are occurring rapidly, and if we do not keep pace with these changes, we will be left behind. It is for universities such as VIT to take these changes to the common man.”
He added that the application of science, technology and innovation has not only played a role in economic development but has also helped in building institutions and society.
G.V. Selvam, vice-president of VIT, said while Internet and mobile phones have facilitated quick exchange of knowledge and information, it was necessary for people to be wary of the dangers lurking in the misuse of these gadgets. O.D. Makinde, senior professor, Faculty of Military Science, Stellenbosch University, South Africa took part.
A total of 710 professors, researchers and students from 300 universities and colleges are taking part in the two-day conference, a press release said.
