Nelson Mandela varsity keen on industry support

Arusha. The Nelson Mandela African Institution on Science and Technology (NM-AIST) says it is keen to support the industrialization drive by the government through research.

Vice Chancellor Emmanuel Luoga said there were several useful research findings on industries and allied sectors done by students and other academicians which have not been fully utilized.

"People should learn from what we have done over the years so that the economy can benefit from them", he said at the start of the Nelson Mandela Week at the institution named after the anti-apartheid icon.

The newly-appointed don said a lot of money was spent on research by NM-AIST and other similar academic institutions but was not convinced that they are fully utilized by the concerned parties.

Gracing the event, the permanent secretary in the ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Prof. Adolf Mkenda said industrialization should be driven by technology and innovation.

He attributed the major leaps in economic growth by the developed countries and the Asian tigers to heavy investment in science, technology and innovation (ST).

The PS cited China which was largely underdeveloped until the 1970s but after investing heavily in research and industry was now the second strongest economy in the world.

According to him,China a lot of its young people to train in the developed countries in the 1970s and 1980s after realizing it was left behind due to its low skills in industrialization.

The Nelson Mandela Week, designated by the United Nations, is marked every July 18th each year  at the Arusha-based university and across the world to honour the first post-apartheid  President of South Africa Nelson Mandela who died in December 2013.

The former South African leader was instrumental in the creation of NM-AIST and is among half a dozen academic/research institutions spread across Africa which he initiated their establishment.