Airtel in talks with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) over partnership

Dar es Salaam. Airtel Tanzania has on Sunday, May 7,  held talks with top leadership of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), a discussion aimed at extending technology studies in the country.

As the IIT plans to set up a campus in the country, Airtel Tanzania will support the institute with high quality communication technology and better data services.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) which is among famous tech colleges offers courses in Information Technology, Metallurgy, Mining Engineering, Chemical Engineering and others has only two campuses outside India located in Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur.

The discussions were held in Dar es Salaam when the top IIT academics visited Airtel Tanzania headquarters during a working tour which was aimed at establishing ways on how the IIT can support Tanzania education on technology.

Speaking after the meeting with the academics, Airtel Tanzania Managing Director Dinesh Balsingh said that the new partnership between Airtel and IIT will see the latter setting up a campus in Zanzibar which will be called IIT Madras which serves Zanzibar and the rest of East African region.

‘We really appreciate the management of IIT for visiting us here at Airtel and we want to commit ourselves that we will offer the best services of data expected to meet their expectations’, Balsingh added.

He added: IIT Zanzibar is expected to open its doors in October 2023 with a batch of 50 undergraduate students and 20 master’s students. For the first year, the institution will offer data science and artificial intelligence courses.

According to Balsingh the decision to set up the first campus in Zanzibar is because of the Isles historical significance as a trade hub and its current attempt to reposition itself as an international business centre.

“In addition, Zanzibar offers both the tranquility of a relatively small town, allowing students to maintain focus on their studies, and access to the rich Swahili culture, which would enrich their experiences.”

“Now with IIT establishing a campus in Tanzania, this will be a very big milestone as the country will be producing its own professionals here and there for the agenda of government industrialization will be a dream come true’, said Balsingh.

He added that IITs are accorded special status, commonly called ‘institutions of high importance’. For that reason, the investment they will put in the country will improve the skills and standards of our learners.

The IIT model focuses on producing those 12 percent of elite workers. That is the portion of the workforce that attracts investment, launches innovative ventures, integrates the economy with the rest of the world, and pulls it forward by its bootstraps, added Balsingh.