Presenting the THOR project, THOR founder and co-director at the Italian School of Palaeoanthropology, Prof Marco Cherin, stressed its importance as a multidisciplinary initiative focused on studying and promoting palaeoanthropological sites in Tanzania, particularly in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Dar es Salaam. About 190 students from the Tanzania’s University of Dar es Salaam and the University of Perugia in Italy have benefited from the Tanzania Human Origins Research (THOR), a 15-year joint palaeoscience initiative between the two countries.
Speaking at the anniversary celebration on Friday, September 6, 2025, the Italian Ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Giuseppe Sean Coppola, commended the long-standing collaboration.
“The partnership began with the two universities but has since expanded to include the University of Dodoma, highlighting Italy’s continued support for archaeologists working on various projects across the country,” he said.
Presenting the THOR project, THOR founder and co-director at the Italian School of Palaeoanthropology, Prof Marco Cherin, stressed its importance as a multidisciplinary initiative focused on studying and promoting palaeoanthropological sites in Tanzania, particularly in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
“The exposed rock formations at Laetoli and Olduvai Gorge provide exceptional geological, palaeontological, and archaeological evidence, offering unique insights into the past four million years of human evolution amid East African environmental change,” he said.
One beneficiary, Mr Jackson Kimambo, who studied Archaeology at the University of Dar es Salaam in 2010, recalled visiting Olduvai Gorge several times.
Collaborating with Italian students, he later secured PhD funding at the University of Perugia under Prof Cherin’s supervision.
“This was a rare opportunity for us, as funding to study abroad is very difficult to secure,” said Mr Kimambo.
“In Tanzania, palaeoscience is still relatively young, and we lack fully equipped laboratories and proper teaching facilities for in-depth scientific exploration. The exchange programme allowed us to acquire knowledge abroad and bring it back to Tanzania, balancing research between locals and foreigners while strengthening the nation’s scientific capacity,” he added.
Representing the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Dr Hassan Abbas, the Director of Antiquities, Christowaja Ntandu, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to deepening the collaboration.
She pledged continued support for enhancing research infrastructure, including laboratories and analytical facilities.
“We also kindly urge you to continue supporting training opportunities for our young scientists and to explore further avenues of collaboration with the government, particularly in research infrastructure,” she said.
