Egypt’s ambassador to Tanzania, Sherif Ismail, described the Julius Nyerere Hydroelectric Dam and Power Plant as a historic milestone and a long-awaited dream for the Tanzanian people dating back to the 1970s.
Speaking on the sidelines of Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly’s participation in the project’s inauguration on Saturday, Ismail said Egypt had helped Tanzania realise the dream by implementing a project designed to provide electricity for the country’s future development and support its ambitions across various sectors.
“Tanzanian development is Egyptian development,” Ismail said, adding that construction of the project took about six years. The facility had been nearly completed since 2024, with the formal handover to Tanzania taking place during the inauguration ceremony, he said.
The ambassador said Tanzanians had eagerly awaited the handover and celebrated its completion, describing the project as a major development achievement financed directly by the Tanzanian government, MENA reported.
Egypt’s approach to major partnerships and projects is based on transferring expertise and building local capabilities, Ismail said. Egypt does not merely implement projects, but also works to develop the capacities of host countries so they can continue their development efforts using the experience gained, he added.
Egyptian companies involved in the project sought to employ Tanzanian workers during its construction, where possible, to transfer technical expertise and help build a local workforce capable of maintaining the facility and supporting future development, Ismail said.
