Summary
The government’s decision to establish a preparatory training camp for scholarship candidates has attracted interest from several foreign universities seeking partnership opportunities.
DODOMA: THE Tanzanian government is initiating talks with South Korea and Saudi Arabia to secure additional international study placements for its citizens under a national scholarship initiative.
This was revealed by the Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Adolf Mkenda
The development reflects the recent awarding of scholarships to ten Tanzanian students for master’s degrees in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Computational Science under the Samia Scholarship Extended (SSE DS/AI+) programme.
Professor Mkenda stated that a negotiation team is scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia for further discussions.
Separately, he himself is expected to visit Seoul shortly, following positive signals from South Korea about opening more academic doors for Tanzanian students.
“We have prepared our team to return to Saudi Arabia, and I am expected to travel to South Korea soon, after our Ambassador in Seoul held productive talks there,” the Minister said.
He noted that South Korea has been impressed by Tanzania’s domestic scholarship drive and is ready to support the country by offering more opportunities in science-related fields, particularly AI, Data Science, and allied disciplines.
Regarding the SSE DS/AI+ programme, Professor Mkenda confirmed that the ten awarded students will pursue their master’s studies at the Arusha-based Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST).
An additional ten students are slated to undertake their master’s degrees at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Zanzibar Campus, under the same initiative.
The Don stated that the focus on sponsoring students at the master’s level is strategically aligned with national demand for advanced expertise.
To date, the government has allocated 5bn/- to facilitate the programme and plans to organise a gala dinner to raise further funds from stakeholders.
The overarching goal of the initiative is to bridge the national skills gap in science, mathematics, and emerging technologies.
The Executive Director of the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), Dr. Amos Nungu, whose institution is coordinating the programme, reported an overwhelming response from applicants.
Dr. Nungu also noted that the government’s decision to establish a preparatory training camp for scholarship candidates has attracted interest from several foreign universities seeking partnership opportunities.
Echoing this sentiment, the Vice Chancellor of NM-AIST, Professor Maulilio Kipanyula, said the training camp offers Tanzanian youth a valuable opportunity to interact with international peers. He pledged to maintain rigorous oversight to ensure high standards are upheld.
Professor Kipanyula added that 60 per cent of the recent SSE DS/AI+ scholarship recipients are lecturers from universities across Tanzania, highlighting the programme’s role in also building academic capacity within the country’s higher education institutions.
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