On Wednesday 2nd February 2022, the President of Association of African Economy and Development (AFRECO), Mr. Tetsuro Yano paid a courtesy call on Ambassador Baraka Luvanda at the Embassy in Tokyo. Mr. Yano was accompanied by Ms. Kyoko Hasegawa, Secretary-General of AFRECO. The meeting was also attended by officers from the Embassy, Mr. John Kambona, Mr. Greyson Ishengoma and Mr. Hosea Chikolongo. 

Ambassador Luvanda welcomed Mr. Yano to the Embassy and introduced other attendees to the meeting. He went on by expressing his appreciations for having been given an early opportunity to meet with him. Ambassador Luvanda pledged his commitment to work closely with AFRECO, stating that the current level of bilateral cooperation between Japan and Tanzania is a product of the job well done of the founding Father of the Nation and the succeeding national leaders. He also appreciated the contribution by Japan through JICA towards Tanzania’s development agenda. Ambassador Luvanda told Mr. Yano that he was happy to note  that on 4 February 2022 Japan will be signing two concessional loans and one grant aid for developmental projects in Tanzania. 

On his part, Mr. Yano started by expressing his appreciations for the opportunity to meet and stated that he has been a longtime friend of Tanzania ever since he was Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan. He informed Ambassador Luvanda that he is currently engaged in the medical field and that his special attention has always been to strengthen bilateral and developmental relations between African countries and Japan. 

Mr. Yano appreciated for the opportunity availed to him to meet and told Ambassador Luvanda that he had planned for an early working dinner which had to be cancelled due to the new protocols relating to COVID-19 pandemic, but he was hopeful that the plan could be executed later in March 2022. Mr. Yano expressed his longtime service within the Government of Japan during which he was involved in various bilateral issues with Tanzania especially during the Fourth phase government under Former President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete. He went on to say that as a result of his engagement with Tanzania he has travelled to Tanzania many times and has had good time all the time.

Mr. Yano further Ambassador Luvanda about AFRECO’s pending project in collaboration with University of Dodoma (UDOM) under the so-called “Africa Human Well-Being Initiative.” The project was established under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which was signed in between UDOM and AFRECO on the sidelines of TICAD 7. He told the meeting that the collaboration intends to support Medical School of UDOM by donating mobile clinics, laboratory medical equipment and drugs to enhance a self-sustainable medical system. He further informed that negotiations on tax exemption issues between the Governments of Japan and Tanzania are still going on and that once finalized, the projects can be executed even before TICAD 8 Summit. He therefore asked Ambassador Luvanda to follow up closely this matter.  

At the conclusion of the meeting, Ambassador Luvanda thanked Mr. Yano for the visit and the broad exchange and promised to maintain the working relationship between AFRECO and Tanzania with a view to further enhancing the cooperative and mutually beneficial relations that exist between Tanzania and Japan

Mr. Yano appreciated for the warm reception afforded to them and wished Ambassador Luvanda a successful tour of duty.