Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 16th March 2025: The Ireland Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Hon. Neale Richmond TD, announced TZS 1.3 billion in financial support for UNDP’s energy portfolio. During his official visit to Tanzania, Minister Richmond toured the Energy Efficiency Lab at Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT) alongside Tanzania’s Minister for Education, Science, and Technology, Hon. Prof. Adolf Mkenda, engaging with beneficiaries of the Energy Efficiency scholarship program and energy efficiency innovators.

In his remarks, Minister Richmond praised UNDP for its strong collaboration with Tanzania, highlighting the critical role of such partnerships in tackling global energy challenges. The Irish Minister also reaffirmed his commitment to the multilateral system, emphasising Ireland’s continued support and cooperation with Tanzania and UNDP.

Minister Prof. Mkenda expressed gratitude for the support from UNDP, the European Union, and the Embassy of Ireland in advancing STEM education. He also proposed a Tanzania-Ireland education exchange partnership, citing Ireland’s position as a leading global technology hub.

The visit highlighted Ireland’s commitment to energy efficiency and capacity building in Tanzania. Key initiatives supported by Ireland include:

• Sponsoring 25 young women to pursue master’s degrees in Sustainable Energy Engineering at DIT.
• Providing intensive training in Energy Audit (CEA) and Energy Management (CEM) for over 150 professionals.
• Offering financial support and seed funding to 10 young innovators to implement energy efficiency solutions in Tanzania.
• Finalisation of the recently launched National Energy Efficiency Strategy (2024-2034).

Minister Richmond also met with energy efficiency scholars, innovators, DIT top management, and energy auditors and managers to discuss the impact of these initiatives. This visit underscores Ireland’s ongoing partnership with Tanzania in fostering innovation and sustainable development in the energy sector.