The history of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation dates back to 1961, shortly after independence. Until December 1963, it operated as a department under the Prime Minister’s Office. In 1964, it became a full-fledged ministry under the name Ministry of External Affairs.
For four decades, its operations were guided by Presidential Circular No. 2 of 1964, which outlined foreign policy priorities focused on racial equality, collective self-reliance, and global peace. These priorities reflected the socio-economic realities of the 1960s and 1970s, addressing challenges like colonialism, neo-colonialism, superpower rivalries, economic struggles of developing nations, and Africa’s fragile statehood. This policy effectively served Tanzania during that era.
However, domestic and global shifts in the 1980s and 1990s required a revision of foreign policy and a redefinition of the Ministry’s roles. Key factors included the collapse of the bipolar international system
