Prof. Maulilio Kipanyula, the Vice Chancellor of The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) hosted a delegation from the Tanzania People’s Defence Force on 8 June 2026 to explore opportunities for collaboration in research, innovation and emerging technologies.

Prof. Kipanyula highlighted NM-AIST’s commitment to delivering impact-driven services through advanced training of Faculty members, Master’s and PhD scholars in emerging technologies.

He emphasized the institution’s strategic focus on technology incubation and commercialization, startup development for national and global competitiveness, stakeholder engagement beyond the education sector, and investment in key resources, including land, human capital and digital infrastructure.

He further noted that initiatives such as the Samia Scholarship Programme in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DS/AI+), implemented under the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, are strengthening the national capacity to develop highly skilled professionals in data science and allied disciplines.

Prof. Kipanyula also expressed NM-AIST’s readiness to contribute expertise and innovative solutions to support TPDF activities and national development priorities.

Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Colonel Hassan Iyunga underscored the importance of strengthening collaboration between the two institutions, particularly in the development and advancement of drone technologies, telecommunications systems, and other emerging technologies.

He also emphasized the need for capacity building in telecommunications technology to enhance innovation and technical capabilities.

Colonel Iyunga commended NM-AIST for its continued contribution to addressing community challenges through research, innovation and technology-driven solutions.

As part of the visit, the delegation toured several key facilities, including the Centre for Computational Engineering and Data Science (CoCSE), CENIT@EA Laboratory, High-Performance Computing (HPC) facilities, research laboratories and the NM-AIST Incubation Centre, where they gained insights into the institution’s ongoing research, innovation and commercialization initiatives.