St. Patrick’s Day 2025: Looking to the future with confidence this St. Patrick’s Day
Ireland’s Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Neale Richmond and Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism Hon. Dr. Pindi Chana during the Embassy of Ireland St Patrick’s Day Reception.
What you need to know:
- As we celebrate, we know too that causes for celebration are not in abundance everywhere this March. Conflicts continue to devastate lives across the world, including in neighbouring DRC. The impacts of climate change are being felt in more and varied ways.
On March 17th each year the world celebrates St. Patrick’s Day, Ireland’s national day. A day for many millions of people with Irish heritage around the world to celebrate all the things which makes Ireland so unique – our literature, music, culture, history and outlook on life.
For those of us in Tanzania, this year has a special resonance as we proudly mark 45 years of bilateral relations between the two countries. We are looking forward to deepening our partnership in the years ahead, as Tanzania sets out to achieve its ambitious Vision 2050. This includes investing in people, particularly in women and girls, as a key foundation for Tanzania’s economic and social development.
Neale Richmond, Ireland’s Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, honoured us with a visit to mark our national day celebrations. He met government Ministers, and many partners in the business and development sectors.
As we celebrate, we know too that causes for celebration are not in abundance everywhere this March. Conflicts continue to devastate lives across the world, including in neighbouring DRC. The impacts of climate change are being felt in more and varied ways.
While we are not immune from these international challenges, we - like others, work to try to address them and to limit their effects. And when it comes to investors in Ireland and visitors to our island, we aim to provide a consistency of approach that stands the test of time.
A commitment to maintaining Ireland as a great place to do business and as a superb location to visit, study or work is shared by all major political parties in our parliament. A strong example of this longstanding commitment is our Irish Fellow’s programme which is over 50 years old, and in 2024 awarded a further 14 scholarships to Tanzanians to study Master’s courses in Ireland.
Ireland’s Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Neale Richmond, Ambassador of Ireland to Tanzania Nicola Brennan and Tanzania Port Authority officials at the Port of Dar es Salaam, during his visit to Tanzania last week.
Ireland is a great place to do business. Over 1,800 foreign-owned companies have chosen Ireland as their strategic base in Europe and now employ over 300,000 people. We are keen to expand our economic footprint in Tanzania and are working with many partners to do so.
We try to take a clear and consistent approach to our foreign policy too, in line with the principles of empathy and partnership.
During these turbulent and uncertain times when it is more critical than ever, Ireland remains a firm supporter of the multilateral system, including the United Nations (UN). Our overarching objective is to reach the furthest behind first. Ireland’s allocations for official development assistance (ODA) have consistently increased over recent years.
Ireland’s Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Neale Richmond, speaks to Femina Hip Youth Champions about their youth empowerment work, during his visit to Mikanjuni Health Centre in Tanga Region.
In 2025, the provision for the international development assistance programme of Ireland will again increase to reach €810 million, our highest ever level. We are also proud that Tanzania is a key partner for Ireland and our support has increased by more than 15% since 2022 to over €25 million this year.
As a small country, we are convinced that working together across borders, at the UN and in other international organisations, is the best way to tackle global challenges and deliver the Sustainable Development Goals.
We see the protection and promotion of human rights as essential to securing and maintaining peace and stability globally. In Tanzania, this is realised through our diverse partnerships, including those working on gender equality and on strengthening climate-resilient coastal communities and local economies.
This is also one of the reasons why Ireland is running for election to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2027-2029 term. We will make this case at the G20 too, where Ireland has been invited to participate as an observer for the first time over the course of 2025.
All of this work continues while we intensify our planning for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2026. Ireland is a proud member state of the European Union and in Tanzania, Ireland contributes to Team Europe Initiatives on climate change and the blue economy.
In the words of Minister Richmond “Tanzania is an important partner for Ireland. Ireland remains steadfast in our partnership with Tanzania and will work with our partners, including the government, to contribute to Tanzania’s growth and prosperity and to protect the most vulnerable members of society.”
There is a famous Irish saying that reads “Ní neart go cur le chéile – There is no strength without unity.” Just as we celebrate on St. Patrick’s Day, so too should we commit to deepening our partnership as we work together to make the world a better place. Our people in both Ireland and Tanzania deserve nothing less.
