Yokohama — TANZANIA has become the first country in Africa to sign an agreement with Japan in a bid to enhance human resources development in the construction sector.

Today, August 21, 2025, or yesterday in Japan time, Tanzania and Japan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in human resource development in the construction sector.

The MoU was signed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, and Japan's Deputy Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (in charge of International Projects), Kenichi Ogasawara, in Yokohama on the sidelines of the TICAD9 Summit on Wednesday.

The agreement aims at building capacity among Tanzanian youth in engineering and construction fields by acquiring Japanese technology and skills so they can become self-employed in the construction sector and secure jobs in Japanese companies.

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According to information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, the agreement will also involve Tanzanian youth and the private sector in the implementation of the National Development Vision 2050, through the development of quality infrastructure, an essential cross-cutting sector in Tanzania's economic growth.

Previously, Japan signed similar agreements with some Southeast Asian countries, where Japan's advanced infrastructure technology has significantly contributed to their economic development.