Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Tuesday that the international campus of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), Madras in Tanzania's Zanzibar will be inaugurated in early November. The announcement comes at a time when Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan is on a four-day visit to India.
The announcement was made by the Education Minister during a ceremony held at Jawaharlal Nehru University, where Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan was honoured with an honorary doctorate.
"I am happy that the first offshore campus of any IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) is being set up in Zanzibar. I am told that IIT-Madras' Zanzibar campus is scheduled to be inaugurated early next month," news agency PTI quoted the minister as saying.
Mr Pradhan added, "This institution will mark a significant step in fostering educational collaboration between two nations and continents. It will offer students from Tanzania and other African countries the opportunity to access top-tier engineering and technology education. This will not only contribute to nation-building but also fuel economic growth, technological advancement, and research and innovation across Africa."
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During a joint address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said, "IIT Madras' decision to establish a center in Zanzibar marks a significant milestone in our bilateral relationship. In the defense sector, we have forged a five-year roadmap that will expand our collaboration in military training, maritime cooperation, capacity building, and the defense industry. I am pleased to announce that Tanzania has chosen to join the Global Biofuels Alliance, an initiative launched by India during the G20 Summit."
In July, India and Tanzania signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking the last administrative requirement to establish the campus.
The institution will offer two comprehensive academic courses: a four-year Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, as well as a two-year Master of Technology in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.