Established in 2002, the KOICA Tanzania Office has been playing a leading role in implementing Korea’s official development assistance (ODA) for Tanzania. KOICA has been engaged in several activities aimed at the socio-economic development of Tanzania with a priority on the health, education, governance and rural development sectors. The KOICA Office in Tanzania focuses on the major sectors of health, education, and water and it implements its programs through bilateral and multilateral projects.
Between 2002 and 2015, Korean ODA to Tanzania has been on a focused incline and has totaled almost USD 80 million, with annual disbursement so far peaking at USD 19 million in 2017, which is the year that KOICA Tanzania implemented significant projects in the Tanzanian health sector, including the infrastructure and technical upgrade and capacity building of three major hospitals.
Further, KOICA has been focusing on sharing Korea’s unique and successful development experiences by implementing a special program, the Training Program. The program places the greatest importance on human resource development, which is a key factor for sustainable development. More than 1,800 Tanzanians have participated in KOICA Training Programs since 1991, including the Scholarship Program.
Besides the Training Program, through the World Friends Korea program (previously known as the Korea Overseas Volunteers program), KOICA has been dispatching volunteers in various fields such as medical doctors, nurses, medical technicians, science and ICT teachers, veterinarians and agriculture specialists.
KOICA has also supported several projects including the Project for Effective ICT Education at the CoET, UDSM, the Project for Development of Ground Water in Dodoma and Shinyanga, and the Project for Modernization of Farms and Rehabilitation of Irrigation in Morogoro and Zanzibar, the Project for Capacity Building for Diagnostic Services improvement of Health Centers in Dar es Salaam, and the Project for Capacity Building for Agro-processing in Dar es Salaam, Morogoro and Zanzibar.
Through its ODA program, Korea aims to strengthen is role as a key international development partner by contributing to capacity building and sustainable development in developing countries and it intends to be an example in the international community of a committed, collaborative, and responsible partner in development.