Sister city partnership forged between Negril and Zanzibar City in Tanzania
Published:Monday | September 15, 2025 | 12:06 AMBryan Miller/Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:
Everything is now in place for the formalisation of the twinning of the resort town of Negril, in western Jamaica, and Zanzibar City, in the United Republic of Tanzania through a sister city arrangement.
With Negril jointly shared by the parishes of Westmoreland and Hanover, the sister arrangement required a collaborative effort between the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation (WMC) and the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC) for the formalisation of the arrangement.
Additionally, the arrangement required sanctioning by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, which granted the required approval for the two municipalities to forge the deal. The two municipalities had previously passed resolutions to collaborate on the effort, which is expected to generate significant social, cultural and economic benefits.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade has endorsed the twinning and participated in the discussions, which led up to the formalisation.
Zanzibar City, which has a population of more than 800,000 people, has tourism one of its major industries, which is one of their major similarities with Negril. Tourism contributes some 29.5 per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP). They are predominantly a Muslim population, with Swahili the official language.
In announcing the twinning arrangement at last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the HMC, Lucea Mayor Sheridan Samuels said the partnership brings together two island states which share a historical connection and many other common features.
“The city twining partnership will facilitate the exchange of experiences, knowledge, skills and people for mutual benefits in the areas of tourism, trade, skills, jobs, culture and sports,” said Samuels.
Samuels listed the five main objectives as, to facilitate peer exchange of leaders for accelerating sustainable development in key sectors; to create exchange opportunities for teachers and students, especially in technical and vocational training for improved job skills; to increase direct trade and economic opportunities between the two partners; to encourage joint marketing in tourism to open up access to new markets; and to strengthen the connection between east Africa and the african Diaspora in the West Indies.
Samuels said the HMC and the WMC will collaborate to ensure that the sister city partnership has the desired results in terms of the objectives they have laid to ensure the viability of the arrangement.
“You will all be updated on the progress of the plans as time goes along,” Samuels told the HMC meeting.