Visit of Minister Ciarán Cannon to Tanzania

Visit of Minister Ciarán Cannon to Tanzania

Minister of State for the Diaspora and International Development, Ciarán Cannon, T.D., begins a four-day trip to Tanzania on Monday 16th October. 

During his visit, Minister Cannon will launch Africa Code Week, an initiative building on the Irish experience and which is developing young people’s skills in computer coding across the continent.  Africa Code Week will take place from 18-25 October, with thousands of free coding activities organized for 500,000 young Africans across 35 countries and online.

The Minister will see how Ireland’s overseas development programme, Irish Aid, is helping the poorest and most vulnerable in Tanzania.  Minister Cannon will meet with refugees who have fled the conflict in Burundi in their refugee camp and hear from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), which runs the camp regarding the challenges refugees face.    The Minister will launch a community based programme to tackle violence against women and girls and meet people who are benefiting from Irish Aid’s investment in Tanzania’s health system and its social protection programme. 

Speaking before the visit, Minister Cannon said:

"I am delighted to be visiting Tanzania this week. The visit gives me an opportunity to witness how the Irish Aid programme is making a difference to the lives of the poorest in Tanzania as they strive to overcome the challenges created by inequality, poverty, and conflict.

I am looking forward to the launch of Africa Code Week, a practical example of a new partnership between Ireland and Tanzania, one intended to unleash the creativity and innovation of youth. Africa Code Week builds on Irish experience and is now spreading across the continent.  Africa Code Week has also spawned Refugee Code Week, giving pride, focus and opportunity to many affected by the trauma of conflict and forced migration.”

Minister Cannon’s visit will deepen the relationship and explore further cooperation between Ireland and Tanzania in responding to global challenges – including climate change, inequality, conflict resolution and protection for refugees in the region.  He will also discuss how Ireland and Tanzania can contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Ends

Press Office

15 October

Note for Editors:

Africa Code Week runs from 18-25 October.  A continent wide initiative it will this year operate in 35 countries.  The intention is to help spread digital literacy across the continent, giving youth there the opportunity to develop skills which will increase their employability and to encourage sustainable growth.  Spearheaded by SAP, the Galway Education Centre leads on organising Africa Code Week.  The Tanzania launch is supported by the Embassy of Ireland Tanzania.  http://africacodeweek.org/

The Irish Aid programme in Tanzania has a strong focus on the rights of women and girls, and invests in health, agriculture, nutrition, social protection and good governance, including support for a free media.  The budget is approx. €20 million per annum.  Due to the large refugee influx (from Burundi and DRC mostly), the Embassy has also provided €500,000 to the World Food Programme and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to assist Burundian refugees in camps in western Tanzania.