Luanda: Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan arrived in Luanda on Friday to witness the inauguration of the Julius Nyerere Burn Hospital, at the invitation of the Angolan Head of State, Joo Louren§o. Upon her arrival, the Tanzanian stateswoman received a welcome from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, T©te Ant³nio.
According to Angola Press News Agency, Samia Suluhu Hassan will attend the inauguration of the Julius Nyerere Burn Hospital on Saturday, a unit that honors one of the most important figures in the history of Tanzania and the liberation struggle of African peoples. The presence of the Tanzanian Head of State at the event gives special significance to the tribute to Julius Nyerere, former President of Tanzania and one of the main figures of the Pan-Africanist movement and the struggle against colonialism and apartheid on the African continent.
During Samia Suluhu Hassan's last visit to Angola in April 2025, the President of the Republic, Joo Louren§o, had already highlighted the historical significance of the relations between the Angolan and Tanzanian peoples, with reference to the support provided by Tanzania to the Angolan liberation struggle. On Tanzanian soil, Angolan guerrillas who participated in the fight against the Portuguese colonial army were trained and prepared.
The choice of Julius Nyerere's name for the hospital unit thus recovers an important part of the shared history between Angola and Tanzania and the role played by the former Tanzanian leader in the struggle for the independence of African countries. Julius Kambarage Nyerere was the first President of Tanzania and one of the leading figures of Pan-Africanism in the 20th century.
Known as "Mwalimu," which means "teacher" in Swahili, he was involved in the struggle for the independence of Tanganyika and the construction of the Tanzanian state. Nyerere also played a prominent role in the creation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963, now the African Union, and advocated for the union of African countries and the liberation of territories that remained under colonial rule or white minority regimes.
During his leadership, Tanzania became an important support point for the liberation movements of Southern Africa. Dar es Salaam hosted organizations and fighters from various liberation movements and was also the headquarters of the OAU Liberation Committee for decades. It was in this context that a historical relationship developed between Tanzania and the liberation movements of African territories, including Angola.
The relationship between Angola and Tanzania predates the establishment of formal diplomatic relations. Tanzania was among the African countries that supported the liberation movements of territories under Portuguese colonial rule, welcoming and assisting liberation movements. In the case of Angola, Tanzanian territory served as a training ground for guerrillas who participated in the struggle for National Independence.
Nyerere's solidarity with the liberation struggles of Southern Africa was part of his vision of a free and united Africa. The African Union considers the former Tanzanian President one of the leading figures of Pan-Africanism, for his role in the creation of the OAU, in supporting liberation movements, and in defending African unity.
With the proclamation of Angola's Independence on November 11, 1975, the relationship between the two countries entered a new phase. Angola and Tanzania established formal diplomatic relations in 1976, initiating the construction of official mechanisms for bilateral cooperation.
Over the decades, the relationship between Angola and Tanzania has shifted from being solely focused on political solidarity and the liberation struggle to encompassing new areas of common interest. The two countries maintain contacts within the framework of the African Union, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and other international organizations, sharing similar positions on African integration, sustainable development, and multilateralism.
In February 2023, Angola and Tanzania signed, on the sidelines of the 42nd Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union in Addis Ababa, a Memorandum of Understanding for the creation of a Bilateral Commission and another on cooperation between the 'Venncio de Moura' Diplomatic Academy and the Tanzanian Center for Foreign Relations. These instruments opened the way for the expansion of economic, social, scientific, technical, and cultural cooperation between the two countries.
In January 2024, during the second Session of the Bilateral Joint Commission, held in Zanzibar, Angola and Tanzania signed four more Memoranda of Understanding in the areas of oil and gas, visa exemption, and health, in addition to documents related to the understandings reached at the bilateral meeting. Cooperation thus gained a broader dimension, with new possibilities in the economic, political, and social sectors. The Tanzanian Government has expressed interest in deepening these relations and expanding the areas of joint work.
It is within this framework of historical relations that the President Julius Kambarage Nyerere Burn Hospital emerges, built in the Kilamba Centrality, in Luanda. The unit was designed to strengthen Angola's capacity in the specialized treatment of burns, complex wounds, and reconstructive surgery, in addition to supporting specialized training and scientific research.
The hospital has six operating rooms, an Intensive Care Unit with 24 beds, an Intensive Care Unit for Burns with 36 beds, a hyperbaric chamber, hemodialysis service, imaging, laboratory, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, among other facilities. The unit has a planned capacity of 252 beds. Its opening should reduce the need to evacuate burn patients abroad and increase the national capacity to care for complex cases.
More than a tribute to a former statesman, the name of the unit recovers a history of solidarity between two countries that, since the years of the liberation struggle, have built a relationship that today seeks to gain new areas of cooperation.
