NEW DELHI: Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan was conferred an honorary doctorate by Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Tuesday, becoming the first woman to be bestowed with the honour. She has been awarded an honorary degree for her role in fostering stronger India-Tanzania relations.
Hassan, the first woman president of Tanzania, went down memory lane to share her journey – from being born in a humble family in an African village to becoming the president of her country. “The world says there is no midway in falling in love with India, be it an Indian song, an Indian movie, or Indian cuisine, it is very difficult to resist an Indian charm.
I experienced it when I came to India for the first time in 1998 to study in Hyderabad,” she said in her acceptance speech. “I stand here as a family member of Jawaharlal Nehru University and no more as a visiting guest. This is what makes India irresistible.
This is what makes India the incredible India,” she said. Hassan noted that India has always been a shoulder to lean on in the struggle against colonialism. The event was attended by Union Minister for Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar.
Congratulating Hassan, Pradhan expressed his happiness that the first offshore campus of any IIT is being set up in Zanzibar, which is scheduled to be inaugurated in early November this year. Highlighting the milestone that India achieved during the G20 Summit and New Delhi declaration, JNU V-C Prof Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit said it was a testament to India’s abilities to table ideas, shape global issues, bridge divides, and forge a consensus. She mentioned that the institution has a Centre for African Studies that began in 1969, which in 2009 became a specialized centre, and the Nelson Mandela Chair.