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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 11h

A wonderful evening at the Residence with 200+ members of Dar es Salaam’s French community - a chance to meet, exchange and celebrate the diversity of those who make France present in Tanzania.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 12h

One month after arriving in Tanzania, I was very keen to bring together Dar es Salaam’s French community. Last night, 200+ of us met at the Residence - a chance to take the pulse of this diverse community, listen, exchange and get to know each other better.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 14h

✈️ Great discussion with Rajat Kumar, Air France-KLM Country Manager in Tanzania. Paris-Kilimanjaro-Zanzibar has become one of the group’s most profitable routes, reflecting Tanzania’s growing appeal to French travellers. More connections, more tourism, closer ties.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 15h

Lunch with my new US colleague William Trachman, who, like me, arrived in Tanzania only weeks ago. France and the US are historic allies, and our cooperation remains close on the ground. Good to compare notes on Tanzania, the region and our shared priorities.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 20h

Another attempt in Kiswahili! Inside TotalEnergies' lubricant plant in Dar es Salaam - the largest of its kind in East Africa. 60 jobs, local production covering 90-95% of Tanzania’s demand, and solar power supplying 28% of the plant’s electricity.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Great meeting with Cynthia Isimbi, Sciences Po’s East Africa representative, visiting Tanzania to encourage more students to apply. Many programmes are taught in English, with fully funded scholarships for eligible Master’s candidates. Only 3 Tanzanian alumni so far!

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Honoured to open a scientific dialogue at the Alliance Française de Dar es Salaam, bringing together French and Tanzanian experts on the Western Indian Ocean. Ahead of #COP12, science is key to understanding climate impacts and protecting coastal ecosystems.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Great lunch with Anna Merrifield, my new Finnish colleague in Tanzania. From Martti Ahtisaari’s legacy to today’s EU partnership, Finland has deep ties with Tanzania. Lots to build on together: climate action, green growth, digital innovation & investment.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Visit to TotalEnergies’ lubricant blending plant in Dar es Salaam. Present in Tanzania since 1969, the French group operates here the largest lubricant and oil blending plant in East Africa, producing lubricants, coolants and greases for Tanzania and the region.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Excellent discussion with Paul-André Calatayud, IRD rep for East Africa. French-Tanzanian research cooperation is tackling concrete challenges: protecting rice crops, developing sustainable marine aquaculture, monitoring climate change & advancing a new malaria vaccine.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

#SAADANI 8- A warm thank you to my guide Hamis, who has worked in Saadani National Park for around twenty years and knows its wildlife and plants remarkably well. His explanations of how the park’s different ecosystems work made the visit especially rewarding.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

#SAADANI 7- Tourism is a major sector for French entrepreneurs in Tanzania. A visit to Saadani Kasa Bay, part of Tanganyika Expedition, founded by Denis Lebouteux. Great team, French-speaking staff, and an excellent address for visitors to Saadani!

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

#SAADANI 6- Saadani is also a great place for birdlife. Across the savannah, raptors scan the grasslands while hornbills, rollers, bee-eaters, weavers and other passerines add colour and movement to the bush.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

#SAADANI 5- Near Kasa Bay, Saadani’s mangroves include red, black and other mangrove species adapted to different levels of salt and tidal flooding. Among them is Xylocarpus granatum, the "cannonball mangrove", named after its large round fruits.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

#SAADANI 4- Saadani is where Tanzania’s savannah meets the Indian Ocean. Its long, largely undeveloped beach forms the coastal edge of the park - a unique setting in East Africa, where large wildlife lives just inland from the sea.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

#SAADANI 3- At Saadani, seawater is channelled into shallow salt pans, where sun and wind gradually concentrate the brine until salt crystallises. Salt production has long been part of the economy of this stretch of Tanzania’s coast.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

#SAADANI 2- From Saadani’s savannah to the Wami River: another side of the park. A boat safari offers close views of hippos and Nile crocodiles along a broad tropical river flowing towards the Indian Ocean.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

#SAADANI 1- First encounter with Tanzania’s large wildlife at Saadani National Park. Elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, impalas, waterbucks, warthogs and baboons: an unforgettable introduction to the country’s extraordinary natural heritage.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Great lunch with my Swedish colleague Ingrid Johansson, who shared the fascinating story of Barbro Johansson: arriving in Tanganyika in 1946, she became Tanzanian, a close ally of founding father Julius Nyerere and a pioneer of Swedish–Tanzanian ties.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Great working lunch with Danish Ambassador Jesper Kammersgaard. Grateful for his insights and advice! We also discussed our cooperation under the EU’s €325m Green & Smart Cities SASA programme: Denmark on water and sanitation, France on markets and food infrastructure.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Great working lunch with my Belgian colleague, Ambassador Lot Debruyne! We discussed Francophonie and how our embassies can work together in Tanzania. Every year, Francophone embassies in Dar es Salaam join forces to celebrate our shared language and cultural diversity!

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Getting into the rhythm of Tanzanian life. Quite literally! 🥁

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

A fascinating visit to the Village Museum in Dar es Salaam, which showcases traditional homes from some of Tanzania’s 120+ ethnic communities. More than architecture, these homes offer a window into the country’s remarkable cultural diversity.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Great lunch with Nora Berra, former French Secretary of State for Health, visiting Dar es Salaam with Michigan State University’s Alliance for African Partnership. A pleasure to exchange views on public health in France and Tanzania!

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Great working lunch with my colleague, German Ambassador Annett Günther. Our partnership is very concrete in Tanzania: AFD and KfW have worked together on energy infrastructure, and we are exploring new opportunities for cooperation on water and power.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

French expertise at work in Tanzania: SYSTRA has begun a feasibility study with Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) for Dar es Salaam’s proposed urban rail system - assessing routes, technology, costs and implementation options. ➡️ www.trc.co.tz/news/trc-yaa...

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Great to visit the AFD (Agence Française de Développement) team in Dar es Salaam and see the scale of France’s development partnership with Tanzania. Since 2008, AFD has committed over €1.5bn to 30+ projects across the country, from energy and water to transport, agriculture and health.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Did you know? Tanzania is home to Africa’s highest point - Kilimanjaro, at 5,895 m - and shares Africa’s deepest lake - Lake Tanganyika, reaching 1,470 m deep. That’s more than 7.3 km from top to bottom.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Delighted to join our Polish friends at the Alliance Française de Dar es Salaam for a screening of Andrzej Wajda’s Danton. A Polish masterpiece on a pivotal moment of French history - and a great example of how culture brings Europeans together here in Tanzania.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Like me, several colleagues arrived this summer to join the team at the French Embassy in Tanzania. Meet them in this short video 👇

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Great lunch with Spanish Ambassador Paloma Serra Robles. As close friends and European partners, France and Spain also work together here in Tanzania - not least through the Spanish Embassy’s great partnership with the Alliance Française. We somehow avoided football.😉

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

What if modernising land administration could boost public revenue, reduce court cases, curb fraud and attract investment? Great discussion with Aude Areste Lamendour, IGNFI Regional Director, on LARIS: a €37m project transforming land management in Zanzibar.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Lunch with Tanzania’s French Foreign Trade Advisors (CCEF), French business leaders whose expertise is invaluable to a new Ambassador. We discussed their activities, the business climate, challenges they face & how we can work together to strengthen France–Tanzania ties.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Did you know? Tanzania’s ports provide access to the Indian Ocean for at least six landlocked countries across East, Central and Southern Africa. A strategic location that makes Tanzania a major gateway for regional trade.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

8,482 French visitors travelled to Zanzibar in August 2026, 6.8% of all international arrivals, making France the islands’ 4th-largest national tourism market. A strong people-to-people link between France and Tanzania. ➡️ www.tanzaniainvest.com/tourism/zanz...

tanzaniainvest.com

Zanzibar International Tourist Arrivals Rise 18% to 124,481 in August 2026 as Estimated Bed Occupancy Reaches 92.9%

Zanzibar received 124,481 international tourists in August 2026, up 18%, while estimated bed occupancy reached 92.9%.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Great lunch with Mamadou Ngom, MD of TotalEnergies Tanzania, and Paul Hiegel, EACOP Operations Director. From 100+ service stations and East Africa’s largest lubricant blending plant to the EACOP pipeline, France’s TotalEnergies has a major footprint in Tanzania.

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Reposted by Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer

Le Rubicon @lerubicon.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

🌐 | Sommet des BRICS à New Delhi Aujourd’hui s’ouvre le 18e sommet des BRICS+ dans la capitale indienne, New Delhi. Ce sommet diplomatique est pour nous l’occasion de vous (re)partager certaines analyses de nos auteurs parues sur notre plateforme.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Life at an embassy is also about providing French public services abroad - sometimes at the happiest moments in people’s lives. This week, I had the pleasure of officiating my first wedding at the Residence in Tanzania, that of Amarante and Louis. Congratulations!

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Habari Tanzania! My first message in Kiswahili - a few words to introduce myself and say how much I look forward to meeting Tanzanians and discovering the country. Tutaonana hivi karibuni!

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Glad to have presented today the copy of my letters of credence to Ambassador Yusuph Mndolwa, Chief of Protocol. I also conveyed France’s condolences to President Samia following the passing of her husband. We discussed our strong cooperation and how to deepen it further.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Good discussion with Yves Montel, France’s Honorary Consul in Zanzibar, his home for 17 years. Some 200 French citizens live there, ~100,000 French tourists visit yearly, and French firms are active in several sectors. I hope to visit this unique part of Tanzania soon.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

What if you could learn Swahili without translating a single word? Great discussion with Léa Kaul about a French-funded method now in development, taught entirely in Swahili: learners think directly in the language and discover -and better retain- grammar rules themselves.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Wonderful lunch with Canadian High Commissioner Emily Burns and our spouses. France and Canada are close partners, friends - and, in our case, family! All the more enjoyable at a time of renewed momentum in Canada-Europe relations.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Excellent échange avec Victoria Creux Laroche, directrice de l’Alliance française d’Arusha : 116 apprenants, bientôt 30 événements cette année et plus de 3 300 participants depuis janvier. Une Alliance en plein renouveau, que j’ai hâte d’aller découvrir sur place.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Good discussion with Christophe Darmois, Chair, and Hannah De Somviele, GM of the French-Tanzanian Chamber of Commerce (FTCC). Founded in 2020, FTCC now has 100 members, Tanzania’s largest bilateral chamber. We discussed opportunities & challenges for French businesses.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

🎶 One more from Twanga Pepeta at the Alliance Française de Dar es Salaam last night, a taste of Tanzania’s vibrant #MuzikiWaDansi tradition, and because one clip simply wasn’t enough.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

🎶 Twanga Pepeta bringing #MuzikiWaDansi to the Alliance Française de Dar es Salaam last night.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

🎶 Grosse affluence hier soir à l’Alliance française de Dar es Salaam pour le Jumatano Groove : environ 500 personnes pour Twanga Pepeta, grande formation de muziki wa dansi, musique de danse tanzanienne aux accents de rumba. Une programmation de haut niveau !

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Good discussion with Sébastien Barth, Chair of the French Foreign Trade Advisors (CCEF) and MD of AGL Tanzania, a major logistics operator across sea, air and land. Tanzania is a key gateway to the sea for several landlocked countries in the region.

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Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer @jbjv.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Yesterday evening, my first event at the Residence: a welcome reception for the new members of Team France in Tanzania, together with their spouses and children. Around a dozen new colleagues - myself included! - and a great way to start this new chapter together in Dar.

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