Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, paid an official visit to India from July 17 to 20, 2026, at the invitation of Vice President CP Radhakrishnan. The four-day visit reinforced the India-Tanzania Strategic Partnership and culminated in the unveiling of the master plan for the permanent campus of IIT Madras Zanzibar, the first international campus of any Indian Institute of Technology. Mwinyi also held bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi, reviewing cooperation across education, trade, technology, healthcare, and the blue economy.
Who Is Hussein Ali Mwinyi?
Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi is the 8th President of Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous archipelago within the United Republic of Tanzania, and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council. Born on 23 December 1966 in Unguja, Zanzibar, he is the son of Ali Hassan Mwinyi, who served as the President of Tanzania from 1985 to 1995. Hussein Mwinyi is a trained physician who studied medicine at Marmara University in Turkey and completed a PhD at Hammersmith Hospital in London before entering politics.
A member of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, Mwinyi has held several political positions including Member of Parliament for Mkuranga and Minister of State in the Vice President’s Office. He assumed the presidency of Zanzibar in 2020. His visit to India was the first by a Zanzibar head of state at the invitation of India’s Vice President, signalling the deepening of bilateral ties between the two nations.
Zanzibar occupies a strategic location along the East African coast in the western Indian Ocean. Historically, it has served as one of the principal maritime gateways connecting India, East Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula. India has maintained centuries-old civilisational, commercial, and cultural ties with the islands, and large Indian-origin communities continue to contribute to Zanzibar’s economy.
What Happened During the Visit
President Mwinyi’s four-day itinerary was divided between Chennai and New Delhi. He arrived in Chennai on July 17, 2026, where he served as the Chief Guest at the 63rd Convocation Ceremony of IIT Madras. During the ceremony, he unveiled the master plan for the 200-acre permanent campus of IIT Madras Zanzibar at Fumba Peninsula on Zanzibar Island. He also toured the IIT Madras campus, its research facilities, the Startup Incubation Cell, and the Research Park, engaging with faculty and students.
On July 19, Mwinyi travelled to New Delhi, where he held wide-ranging and productive discussions with Vice President CP Radhakrishnan at the Uprashtrapati Bhawan. The two leaders reviewed the full spectrum of India-Tanzania relations and explored new avenues for cooperation in trade, investment, the blue economy, tourism, education, technology, and multilateral engagement. Mwinyi expressed his appreciation for India’s support in establishing the IIT Madras Zanzibar Campus, calling it a “landmark initiative in bilateral educational cooperation.”
Earlier the same day, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met President Mwinyi. The discussions focused on expanding cooperation in higher education, capacity building, water supply, health, artificial intelligence, digital technologies, and other priority sectors. Jaishankar described the IIT Madras Zanzibar campus as a “shining example” of the close partnership between the two nations and India’s enduring commitment to Africa’s education and development priorities.
During the visit, President Mwinyi paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi by laying a wreath at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial at Raj Ghat. He extended an invitation to Vice President Radhakrishnan to visit Zanzibar, which was graciously accepted. The visit built on the landmark State Visit of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan to India in October 2023, during which the bilateral relationship was elevated to a Strategic Partnership.
IIT Madras Zanzibar: India’s First Overseas IIT Campus
The IIT Madras Zanzibar Campus (IITM Zanzibar) is the first international campus of any Indian Institute of Technology. Established in October 2023 through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Governments of India and Tanzania, it represents a significant milestone in India’s educational outreach to Africa. The campus operates as a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for higher education in the African continent.
Academic Programmes and Admissions
The campus initially offers two full-time academic programmes under the School of Engineering and Science:
| Programme | Duration | Annual Fee |
|---|---|---|
| BS in Data Science and AI | 4 years | USD 12,000 |
| MTech in Data Science and AI | 2 years | USD 4,000 |
The programmes are open to students of all nationalities. Unlike IITs in India, students do not need to have studied science subjects exclusively; those from any stream can apply. Admission is through a screening test (IITMZST) developed by IIT Madras faculty, followed by interviews. The campus provides opportunities for semester exchange programmes with IIT Madras’s partner institutions in the UK, Australia, and other countries.
The Permanent Campus at Fumba Peninsula
The 200-acre permanent campus is being developed at the Fumba Peninsula on Zanzibar Island. President Mwinyi unveiled the master plan for this campus during the 63rd Convocation of IIT Madras. A new hostel block was inaugurated in January 2026, and construction of the permanent facilities is progressing steadily. The campus is being planned by IIT Madras experts and is designed to eventually accommodate a much larger student body and expanded academic programmes.
Significance for India and Africa
The IIT Madras Zanzibar campus marks a paradigm shift in India’s approach to global higher education. Rather than merely sending students abroad, India is now exporting its premier educational institutions to other countries. This is the first time an IIT has established a campus outside India, and it serves as a blueprint for India’s educational outreach across the Global South.
The campus focuses on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, two fields critical to Africa’s digital transformation. By building indigenous scientific and technological capabilities within the continent, the institution supports a model of sustainable development driven by human resource development rather than external funding alone.
Centuries-Old Ties: The India-Zanzibar Historical Connection
The relationship between India and Zanzibar stretches back over a thousand years, rooted in maritime trade across the Indian Ocean. Traders from India’s western coast, particularly from Gujarat and Kutch, had commercial links with the East African coast as early as the first millennium CE. Ancient travellers such as al-Masudi in the ninth century and al-Idrisi in the twelfth century documented these thriving trade networks. Indian-made glass beads, cotton textiles, and weighing systems have been found in archaeological excavations along the East African coast.
A decisive moment came in 1840, when the Omani ruler Said bin Sultan shifted his capital from Muscat to Zanzibar. He persuaded Indian merchants already settled in Oman to move with him, offering them tax-free trade, protection, and important government positions. The Indian community, comprising Hindu Bhatia, Lohana, and Muslim Khoja, Bohra, and Memon traders, grew rapidly. By 1880, the Indian population in Zanzibar exceeded 5,500, and they dominated the island’s customs, banking, and commerce.
Indians played a significant role in Zanzibar’s political history as well. The Indian National Association, formed in 1914, represented the community’s economic and political rights. Indian clove merchants were central to the island’s economy, and nationalist leaders in India, including Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, took up the cause of Indians in Zanzibar during colonial struggles.
The Zanzibar Revolution of 1964 led to significant displacement of the Indian-origin population, but the historical and cultural bonds have endured. Today, an estimated 50,000 people of Indian origin live in Tanzania, including Zanzibar. Indian cultural influences remain visible in Zanzibar’s architecture, cuisine, and the Taarab musical tradition, which absorbed Indian melodies and instruments like the harmonium and tabla.
India-Tanzania Institutional Framework
India and Tanzania maintain a robust institutional mechanism for bilateral cooperation:
| Mechanism | Focus Area |
|---|---|
| India-Tanzania Joint Commission | Economic, Technical, and Scientific Cooperation |
| Joint Trade Committee | Trade and commercial relations |
| Joint Working Groups | Water, Counter Terrorism |
| Joint Defence Cooperation Committee | Military training, maritime security |
The High Commission of India in Dar es Salaam has been operating since 19 November 1961, and the Consulate General of India in Zanzibar was established on 23 October 1974. India offers 1,000 ITEC and 85 ICCR scholarships annually to Tanzania, and in FY 2026-27, Tanzania has been allocated 135 ICCR slots, the highest in Africa.
The Way Forward
President Mwinyi’s visit has imparted renewed momentum to the India-Tanzania Strategic Partnership. The two sides have agreed to schedule upcoming meetings of the Joint Commission Meeting and the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee at mutually convenient dates, while the next round of Foreign Office Consultations will be held in India.
The bilateral trade figures underscore the growing economic relationship. Trade between India and Tanzania rose to USD 9.02 billion in the 2025-26 financial year, up from USD 8.64 billion in the previous year. India is among the top five foreign investors in Tanzania, with cumulative investments estimated at USD 4.08 billion. These numbers reflect the enormous potential for deeper economic cooperation.
Looking ahead, the focus areas for cooperation span healthcare infrastructure, industrial capacity building, digital public architecture, artificial intelligence, water management, renewable energy, and capacity building. The IIT Madras Zanzibar campus is expected to emerge as a hub for technology education across Africa, training the next generation of scientists and engineers from the continent.
India’s engagement with Tanzania and Zanzibar reflects its broader diplomatic strategy of building partnerships through education, technology, capacity building, and people-centric development rather than traditional aid-based approaches. As both nations work to translate their Strategic Partnership into concrete projects, the relationship is increasingly positioned as a model for India’s partnership-led engagement with Africa and the Global South.
Key Takeaways
- President Hussein Ali Mwinyi is the 8th President of Zanzibar and son of former Tanzanian President Ali Hassan Mwinyi.
- The IIT Madras Zanzibar Campus, established in October 2023, is the first international campus of any Indian Institute of Technology.
- The 200-acre permanent campus is being developed at Fumba Peninsula on Zanzibar Island, with the master plan unveiled at the 63rd Convocation of IIT Madras.
- The India-Tanzania bilateral relationship was elevated to a Strategic Partnership during Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s State Visit to India in October 2023.
- India-Tanzania bilateral trade reached USD 9.02 billion in the 2025-26 financial year, with cumulative Indian investments in Tanzania at USD 4.08 billion.
- India offers 1,000 ITEC and 85 ICCR scholarships annually to Tanzania, with 135 ICCR slots allocated for FY 2026-27, the highest in Africa.
