India and Tanzania have agreed to develop solar power projects together in the future as members of International Solar Alliance (ISA).

The decision was made during the ninth India-Tanzania Joint Commission on Trade, Scientific and Technical Cooperation led by the External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of Tanzania, Dr. Augustine P. Mahiga.

India is the largest trading partner of Tanzania comprising 18 percent of its foreign trade and is among the top five investing countries in Tanzania. India has committed over a billion dollar of credit for development projects in Tanzania.

Both the governments have also identified energy, power generation and distribution as promising sectors for development.

India inaugurated  the second edition of Global RE-Invest  on October 2, 2018 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Minister of Power R.K. Singh. Speaking at the occasion, Guterres hailed the initiative undertaken by India to lead the ISA in building a sustainable tomorrow for the entire world.

Recently, 21 countries of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) adopted the Delhi Declaration on Renewable Energy in the Indian Ocean Region. The declaration calls for collaboration among IORA member states in meeting the growing demand for renewable energy in the Indian Ocean littorals, developing a common renewable energy agenda for the Indian Ocean region, and promoting regional capacity building.

Earlier, Mercom reported that the Government of India pledged $1.4 billion to fund the development of solar projects in 15 African and South Asian countries that are part of the ISA consortium at the inaugural conference of the ISA held in New Delhi.