Tanzania–United Kingdom relations are bilateral relations between

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The United Kingdom has historically been a partner of Tanzania in many areas, particularly trade and security.

Early History

Relations between the United Kingdom and what is now Tanzania developed in the early 19th century, as British influence grew in

Tanganyika Tanganyika may refer to: Places * Tanganyika Territory (1916–1961), a former British territory which preceded the sovereign state * Tanganyika (1961–1964), a sovereign state, comprising the mainland part of present-day Tanzania * Tanzania Main ...

and

Zanzibar Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islan ...

, the former territories that now make up the modern state of Tanzania. In Zanzibar, the United Kingdom’s engagement was defined both by commerce and a desire to end the

Indian Ocean slave trade The Indian Ocean slave trade, sometimes known as the East African slave trade or Arab slave trade, was multi-directional slave trade and has changed over time. Africans were sent as slaves to the Middle East, to Indian Ocean islands (including Ma ...

. In 1822, the British signed the first of a series of treaties with

Said bin Sultan Sayyid Saïd bin Sultan al-Busaidi ( ar, سعيد بن سلطان, , sw, Saïd bin Sultani) (5 June 1791 – 19 October 1856), was Sultan of Muscat and Oman, the fifth ruler of the Busaid dynasty from 1804 to 4 June 1856. His rule commenced fol ...

, the

Omani Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

sultan of Zanzibar, to curb the trade, with it eventually being prohibited in 1876. In 1890, the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

agreed the

Heligoland–Zanzibar Treaty The Heligoland–Zanzibar Treaty (german: Helgoland-Sansibar-Vertrag; also known as the Anglo-German Agreement of 1890) was an agreement signed on 1 July 1890 between the German Empire and the United Kingdom. The accord gave Germany control of ...

with

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, which formally gave them control of Zanzibar. The British protectorate ended in December 1963. In Tanganyika, British explorers

Richard Francis Burton Sir Richard Francis Burton (; 19 March 1821 – 20 October 1890) was a British explorer, writer, orientalist scholar,and soldier. He was famed for his travels and explorations in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, as well as his extraordinary kn ...

and

John Speke Captain John Hanning Speke (4 May 1827 – 15 September 1864) was an English explorer and officer in the British Indian Army who made three exploratory expeditions to Africa. He is most associated with the search for the source of the Nile ...

became the first Europeans to visit Lake Tanganyika in 1858. In 1919, the British gained control of most of Tanganyikan territory, following a League of Nations mandate that ended the period of German colonial administration that had started in 1884. On 9 December 1961,

Tanganyika (1961–1964) Tanganyika () was a sovereign state, comprising the mainland part of present-day Tanzania, that existed from 1961 until 1964. It first gained independence from the United Kingdom on 9 December 1961 as a state headed by Queen Elizabeth II before ...

gained Independence, and

Julius Nyerere Julius Kambarage Nyerere (; 13 April 1922 – 14 October 1999) was a Tanzanian anti-colonial activist, politician, and political theorist. He governed Tanganyika as prime minister from 1961 to 1962 and then as president from 1962 to 1964, af ...

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

alumni and leader of the

Tanganyika African National Union The Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) was the principal political party in the struggle for sovereignty in the East African state of Tanganyika (now Tanzania). The party was formed from the Tanganyika African Association by Julius Nyerere ...

, was appointed President. Tanganyika was admitted as a member of the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the ...

in 1961. The bilateral relationship between the UK and modern day Tanzania formally began in 1964, when Tanganyika merged with Zanzibar in 1964, to form the

United Republic of Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

. Tanzania broke off relations with the United Kingdom between December 1965 and July 1968, in response to British policy towards

Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) was a statement adopted by the Cabinet of Rhodesia on 11 November 1965, announcing that Southern Rhodesia or simply Rhodesia, a British territory in southern Africa that had governed it ...

Trade

Tanzanian exports to the United Kingdom are dominated by raw materials such as tea, tobacco and precious stones. The United Kingdom is the largest non-African purchaser of Tanzanian tea. On the other hand, UK exports to Tanzania are mainly dominated by automobiles and electronic appliances.

Trade Statistics

Foreign Direct Investment

Being the former colonial power, the United Kingdom is one of Tanzania's oldest trading partners. In 2021 the United Kingdom ranked fourth for foreign direct investment into Tanzania behind the Cayman Islands, China and Canada. Foreign investment in the country is spread out across multiple sectors, such as mining, manufacturing and agriculture. The only British firm listed on the

Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange The Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE) is a stock exchange located on Ohio Street, west of Kivukoni, south east of Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital and largest city in Tanzania. It was incorporated in September 1996 and trading started i ...

was

Acacia Mining Acacia Mining (formerly African Barrick Gold plc) is a gold mining business operating in Tanzania, with exploration properties in Kenya, Burkina Faso and Mali. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange and is ...

before its delisting on 18 November 2019.

Tourism

The United Kingdom is one of the top contributors of tourism to Tanzania, with 60,116 arrivals being recorded in 2022.

British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and passengers ...

previously operated direct flights between

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and Dar es Salaam, but flights were suspended on 31 March 2013 after 82 years of operations due to a lack of profitability.

Education

UK Official Development Assistance has funded the Shule Bola Initiative, an £89 million programme which aims to improve learning outcomes for over 4 million children in Tanzania. Launched in 2022, the programme places particular emphasis on girls, the disabled and those living in deprived areas. The

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' ministries of foreign affairs, it was created on 2 September 2020 through the merger of the Foreig ...

provides funding for the

Chevening Scholarship The Chevening Scholarship is an international scholarship, funded by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, that lets foreign students with leadership qualities study at universities in the United Kingdom. History The Chevening Scholarship ...

programme in Tanzania.

Resident diplomatic missions

*Tanzania has a high commission in

*United Kingdom has a high commission in Dar es Salaam.High Commission of the United Kingdom in Tanzania
/ref> File:High Commission of Tanzania in London 2.jpg, High Commission of Tanzania in London File:Umoja House, British High Commission, Dar es Salaam.jpg, High Commission of the United Kingdom in Dar es Salaam

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanzania-United Kingdom relations

Bilateral relations of the United Kingdom

United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations Relations of colonizer and former colony