First IIT campus outside India to come up in Tanzania's Zanzibar

Zanzibar [Tanzania], July 6 : The first IIT campus outside India will be set up in Tanzania's Zanzibar. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up of campus of IIT Madras in Zanzibar was signed between the Ministry of Education, Government of India, IIT Madras, and the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT) Zanzibar on Wednesday.

The setting up of the IIT campus in Zanzibar demonstrates the longstanding friendship between India and Tanzania, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an official statement.

Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, High Commissioner of India to Tanzania, Professor Raghunathan Rengaswamy, Dean (Global Engagement), IIT Madras, and Khalid Masoud Wazir, Acting Principal Secretary, MoEVT Zanzibar, signed the MoU on behalf of Ministry of Education, Government of India, IIT Madras and Ministry of Education and Vocational Training Zanzibar, respectively.

"This campus is reflective of the longstanding friendship between India and Tanzania and a reminder of the focus India places on building people-to-people ties across Africa and the Global South," the MEA said in a press release.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi witnessed the signing of the agreement on setting up of IIT Madras campus in Zanzibar. Jaishankar tweeted, "Witnessed the signing of the agreement on setting up of @iitmadras Zanzibar campus. Appreciate President @DrHmwinyi gracing the occasion, as also the presence of his Ministers. This historic step reflects India's commitment to the Global South."

According to MEA, the setting up of the IIT Campus shall also enhance India's reputation across the world and its diplomatic relationships and expand the international footprint of IIT Madras. It will also likely enhance the quality of IIT Madras education and research further due to student and faculty diversity from the international campus. It will further serve to deepen research collaborations with other top-ranked academic institutions worldwide.

"IIT campus in Zanzibar-Tanzania is envisioned as a world-class higher education and research institution with a broader mission to develop competencies in response to emerging global requirements, deepen ties between the nations, and support research and innovation in the region. It will serve as an example to the world, of the aspirational qualities of Indian higher education and innovation," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

The MEA noted that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 focuses on Internationalization and recommends that "high-performing Indian universities will be encouraged to set up campuses in other countries."

It stated that this unique partnership will bring the top-ranked educational expertise of IITM to a prime destination in Africa and serve the current imperative needs of the region.

"Recognizing the strategic partnership between Tanzania and India, the relationship of educational partnership has been formalized by signing the document which provides the framework for the Parties to detail out the setting up of the proposed campus of IIT Madras in Zanzibar- Tanzania, with plans to launch programs in Oct 2023," the MEA said in the press release.

According to MEA, the academic programs, curricula, student selection aspects and pedagogical details will be by IIT Madras. The capital and operating expenditure will be met by the government of Zanzibar-Tanzania.

IIT Madras degrees will be awarded to the students enrolled in the campus that will be set up in Tanzania, the MEA said. The interdisciplinary degrees are expected to attract a diverse cohort and will include students from Africa and other countries as well. Indian students are also eligible to apply to these programs.