Garowe Online | 20 July 2026
Egypt eyes Tanzania farm projects, logistics hubs and Nile cooperation
CAIRO, July 20 — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Egypt is seeking to launch agricultural land reclamation projects and develop logistics infrastructure in Tanzania, while calling for greater cooperation among Nile Basin countries on shared water resources.
Speaking alongside Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan during a visit to Dar es Salaam on Saturday, Sisi said the two leaders had agreed to deepen their strategic partnership through joint projects in agriculture, transport, energy, and infrastructure.
"We discussed opportunities to launch an agricultural land reclamation project in Tanzania to enhance food security for both countries and meet demand for strategic crops," Sisi said, adding that the initiative could later expand to support exports.
The two presidents also witnessed the signing of memorandums of understanding covering transport, electricity, and renewable energy, according to the Egyptian presidency.
Sisi said Egypt was prepared to contribute to the expansion of the Port of Dar es Salaam and proposed establishing a shipping route between Egypt's Red Sea port of Safaga and Dar es Salaam, alongside a broader logistics corridor linking Cairo with Tanzania through regional infrastructure projects.
He also stressed the importance of promoting "mutual understanding and a spirit of cooperation" among Nile Basin nations on water-related issues.
Tanzania is one of the 11 countries that share the Nile Basin, where water allocation remains a sensitive issue for downstream Egypt.
During the visit, Hassan praised Egypt's role in constructing the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project, a 2,115-megawatt dam built by Egyptian firms under a contract signed in 2018. Sisi described the project as a model of development cooperation between African nations.
The two leaders later attended a business forum involving more than 35 Egyptian and 120 Tanzanian business representatives, where Sisi said the talks had produced "fruitful discussions" on expanding trade and investment.
According to Egyptian official statistics, bilateral trade reached $12.3 million in the first quarter of 2026, with Egyptian exports to Tanzania increasing by 3.2% over the same period.
