Backgrounder: Secretary of State Sarai’s visit to Ethiopia and Tanzania

The Honourable Randeep Sarai, Secretary of State (International Development), recently visited Ethiopia and Tanzania, where he conducted site visits and strategic dialogues focused on education, health, economic empowerment, gender equality and climate resilience.

Visit to Ethiopia, July 17 to 20, 2025

While in Ethiopia, Secretary of State Sarai met with senior officials from the Government of Ethiopia and the African Union, project partners and community members to advance Canada’s development priorities, including health, economic growth, peace and security.

He also discussed continental health security with the director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and reaffirmed Canada’s support for sexual and reproductive health and rights during a visit to Hamlin’s Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital alongside Ethiopia’s minister of health and representatives from the UN Population Fund.

In a meeting with the minister of finance, they underscored Canada’s support for Ethiopia’s macroeconomic reforms and the growing alignment between economic reform and development cooperation, committing to the deepening of trade and investment ties through frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area and a foreign investment protection agreement as part of a broader trade-development nexus.

Additional meetings focused on Ethiopia’s humanitarian efforts, as well as the disarmament and reintegration of former combatants.

In the Sidama Region, Secretary of State Sarai visited key Canada-supported programs aimed at poverty reduction, climate resilience and women’s empowerment, and he visited a safe house for survivors of sexual violence. The visit to the region also included meetings with the African Trade Policy Centre at the UN Economic Commission for Africa, as well as with Amma Twum-Amoah, African Union Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development; and Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to the African Union.

Visit to Tanzania, July 20 to 23, 2025

During his visit to Tanzania, Secretary of State Sarai met with officials to reinforce Canada’s long-standing commitment to sustainable development and economic cooperation. He also conducted engagements that underscored Canada’s commitment to advancing health, education, economic empowerment and inclusive development in the country.

He visited Jaza Energy, an innovative Canadian solar company that is bringing low-cost energy to communities, and he toured 2 Canada-supported agribusiness projects that are helping to strengthen agriculture value chains. These initiatives show how investing in people helps create the conditions needed for businesses growth, expanded trade and thriving communities.

He witnessed how Canada’s contribution to the Health Basket Fund, a multi-donor initiative, helps improve primary health-care services in the country by focusing on enhancing the quality of care in the Tanzanian health-care system.

He also participated in the distribution of Canadian-manufactured vitamin A to children by Nutrition International and witnessed a birth registration service for newborns developed through a Canadian legacy project with UNICEF and Tigo Mobile. He also witnessed the operations of an innovative maternal health project that is reducing deaths by connecting remote communities to emergency services; the project is now being scaled in other countries. All these initiatives are saving lives and improving health outcomes.

Secretary of State Sarai also visited schools where Canada’s support is improving education outcomes, providing vocational training and connecting adolescents to needed health information and services.