NIT, US agency to collaborate on research and tech transfer

Dar es Salaam. The National Institute of Transport (NIT) and the department of transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the US are currently engaged in discussions that will culminate in the striking of major collaborations in research and technology transfer.

The cooperation will specifically cater to the needs of NIT’s Regional Center for Excellence in road safety (RCoE), NIT rector Prof Zacharia Mganilwa said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the FHWA’s responsibility was to ensure that America’s roads and highways remain safe and technologically sound.

“Therefore, the cooperation would help the transfer of knowledge to lecturers at NIT’s RCoE from FHWA,” he said adding that REoE’s main objective was to provide training, research and consultancy services covering all pillars of road safety within the country and the whole East Africa region.

Empowering the centre would mean that other countries within the region would be looking up to Tanzania for specialised training on issues pertaining to road safety training programs.

He was of the view that the training would boost standards and comprehensiveness of researches on road accidents in the region, which to him was currently missing, and the only thing being done was reporting on accidents, the number of victims and vehicles involved.

According to him, the media was failing to make an in-depth analysis on how the accidents were happening so as to allow stakeholders and other relevant authorities to come up with practicable solutions.

He said the number of researches to be conducted at the institution will therefore give solutions on whether to change laws and regulations in the road sub-sector.

Among its mandate, the FHWA supports the US Federal State and local governments in the design, construction, and maintenance of the nation’s highway systems.