Tanzania and Burundi open a new chapter in strategic development cooperation

BUJUMBURA: THE Tanzanian government and Burundi have jointly agreed to strengthen strategic cooperation in various development areas, including politics and diplomacy, security, trade, investment, infrastructure, energy and social development. The move aims to expand economic opportunities and improve the lives of citizens in the two countries, in implementation of the resolutions of the Sixth Meeting of the Joint Permanent Commission for Cooperation held in Kigoma Region in 2021.

The agreements were discussed during the Seventh Meeting of the Joint Permanent Commission for Cooperation (JPC) at ministerial level, held in Bujumbura, Burundi, on September 30, 2026.

The Tanzanian delegation to the meeting was led by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Dr Mahmoud Thabit Kombo. The two sides discussed measures to strengthen the implementation of cooperation agreements and identify new opportunities to further develop relations between Tanzania and Burundi.

Speaking to journalists shortly after the meeting, Minister Kombo said that, in political and diplomatic matters, the two countries had discussed strengthening cooperation in defence and security, including combating maritime crime on Lake Tanganyika, conducting joint operations and patrols in border areas, as well as preventing and combating human trafficking.

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Other Tanzanian officials who participated in the meeting included the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation responsible for East African Affairs, Charles Ngeleja Kadonya; the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Investment of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, Mwalimu Khamis Suleiman; the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Dr Franklin Rwezimula; the Tanzanian Ambassador to Burundi, Ambassador Gelasius Gaspar Byakanwa; and the Director of the Africa Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Ali Bujiku.