The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) and NMB Bank have signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the NMB Headquarters, aimed at fostering innovation, enhancing education, and empowering students with real-world skills. This strategic partnership bridges academia and industry, focusing on talent development, digital transformation, and youth empowerment.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Emmanuel Akonaay, NMB’s HR Director, emphasized that the collaboration will provide students with opportunities to test innovative ideas through NMB’s Sandbox platform, develop digital skills through mentorship and internships, and engage in research on emerging technologies such as AI, fintech, and blockchain. Akonaay added, “This partnership will accelerate digital transformation by equipping students with practical skills while NMB offers financial support, including scholarships and funding for innovation programs.”

The Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research at UDSM, Prof. Nelson Boniface, highlighted the importance of industry participation in academia, stating, “This partnership will open doors for adjunct trainers from the industry to teach at UDSM, giving students hands-on industrial experience and aligning their skills with market demands.” He emphasized that integrating industry professionals into the academic environment will enhance teaching and learning, providing students with real-world insights.

Mr. Akonaay reiterated NMB’s commitment to youth empowerment through this partnership. “By engaging students early and equipping them with future-ready skills, we aim to ensure they are prepared to drive innovation and take on meaningful roles in the industry including creating employment for others,” he said.

The ICT Innovation Hub will play a central role in driving student engagement through workshops, hackathons, and collaborative projects, offering hands-on industry experience. The collaboration aims to align academic curricula with market needs, producing job-ready graduates and contributing to Tanzania’s economic development.

Stay updated with UDSM ICT Innovation Hub for the latest developments in this transformative partnership.

On 20^th January 2024, we had our first event titled CODE BOOST. At the event, the students were able to learn different things in different sessions. In the first session, the speaker was Rohit Gulam, who taught us about WordPress. Under WordPress, we were taught how to create a simple landing page and how to customize and optimize the landing page. During the second session, the speaker was Madam Shakila Mshana, and she taught us about idea generation techniques, validating startup ideas, and identifying market opportunities. In the third session, the speaker was Daniel Mawalla, who spoke about Git and GitHub and he introduced student pack tools. Also the students were able to participate in different games which helped to boost they're energy. 

On 9^th  January 2024, representatives from  the Constractor University in Bremen Germany, visited the University of Dar es Salaam and introduced the youth teamup project.

The youth teamup project is all about innovation and commercialization of ideas. The mission of this project is to connect African and European youth through virtual exchange to embark on transformative Global Impact Projects (GIPs). The project will be conducted in two essential levels, which are the shallow virtual exchange and deep virtual exchange.

In shallow virtual exchange level,  young individuals come together in large groups to participate in engaging ideation and capacity building sessions that focus on both soft and technical skills. 

In deep virtual exchange level, the youth engagement is taken to the next level. Here, small groups of passionate individuals collaborate to bring the GIPs to life, using digitalization tools. By engaging in iterative co-design and prototyping sessions, coupled with targeted technical skills training, these teams work together to create transformative GIPs that leave a meaningful impact.