Relationship dossier
Egypt
Tanzania
Relationship assessment
Practical cooperation alongside disagreement over Nile water governance
Egypt toward Tanzania
+20Egypt has pursued bilateral cooperation with Tanzania through agreements reached during President Sisi’s 2017 visit. Egyptian companies also undertook construction of Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere hydropower project, a major infrastructure engagement.
Tanzania toward Egypt
+15Tanzania has engaged in bilateral cooperation with Egypt, including agreements associated with President Sisi’s 2017 visit. Tanzania’s participation in the Nile Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement, opposed by Egypt, has been a significant source of disagreement.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship combines practical bilateral cooperation, notably agreements and Egyptian participation in a major Tanzanian infrastructure project, with disagreement over Nile water governance. These features support a generally cooperative relationship tempered by a consequential regional dispute.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Egypt and Tanzania have pursued practical cooperation, including agreements reached during President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s 2017 visit and Egyptian companies’ role in building Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere hydropower project. Their relationship also includes disagreement over Nile water governance: Tanzania joined the Nile Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement, which Egypt opposed.
Areas of tension
- Nile water governance and Tanzania’s participation in the Nile Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement, which Egypt opposed.
Key developments
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi visited Tanzania, where the governments concluded bilateral agreements.
Egyptian companies undertook construction of Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere hydropower project.
Tanzania joined the Nile Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement, which Egypt opposed.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of the bilateral agreements are unclear.
- The extent of continuing Egyptian government involvement in the hydropower project is uncertain.