Tanzania’s current national focus is to speed up socio-economic development. The scientific and technological transformation of the agricultural and industrial sectors is mentioned by several development policies and strategies as a ‘must’ for this mission to be realized. For instance, the National Development Vision 2025 envisages a link between economic productivity, and competitiveness and advanced technologies.

This link is expressly or impliedly stated in so many other national documents including the National Economic Empowerment Policy of 2004; Sustainable Industries Development Policy for 1996-2020; Agricultural Marketing Policy of 2008; Rural Development Strategy of 2001; Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Development Policy of 2002; National Public Private Partnership (PPP) Policy of 2009; National Higher Education Policy of 1999; Community Development Policy of 1996; and of course, National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty II (NSGRP II) of 2010.

The focus of NM-AIST, among other things, corresponds with the National Higher Education Policy of 1999, which among other things, calls for design of programmes that are geared towards responding to the changing world of science and technology, and responding to ever-changing needs of the people, their government, industry, commerce and surrounding environment in general. Such needs are directly captured by NM- AIST’s programmatic focus which basically, emphasizes linkage to society and industry, and scientific and technological response to local needs and problems.

The NM-AIST training curricula therefore incorporate strong innovation and entrepreneurship modules, and strong academia-industry relations are part of this institution’s development agenda. The institution’s curricula also seeks to accommodate, enable, stimulate, catalyze and harness the innovativeness and entrepreneurial qualities (as stipulated in the 2002 SME Policy stated above) inherent in the young generation for the sustainable development of Tanzania and Sub-Saharan Africa.

With warmest regards,

Chief Academic Officer and Head of the Academic Affairs
Phone: +255 753 571 059
Email: efraim.kosia@nm-aist.ac.tz