Mandela Institute grabs $12m deal
The Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology
What you need to know:
The NM-AIST vice chancellor, Prof Burton Mwamila, revealed reports on the remarkable achievement during the institute’s 3rd graduation held at its Tengeru campus
Arusha. The Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) will host two out of 23 new centres of excellence to be established in various parts of the continent. Donors will channel some $12 million to the institute for it to undertake the task, it was revealed here on Thursday.
The Arusha-based pan African university won the project to be implemented under the World Bank Eastern and Southern African Centres of Excellence Programme after a stiff competition of universities in nine countries in the East African region.
The two centres are named as the Centre for Research, Evidence, Agricultural Advancement, Teaching Excellence and Sustainability in Food and and Nutrition Security (CREATES-FNS) and the Centre of Excellence for Water Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy Futures (WISE0 Futures). “I wish to commend all members of the NM-AIST community who contributed to this remarkable achievement,” said the vice chancellor, Prof Burton Mwamila, during the 3rd graduation ceremony held at the Tengeru campus.
Implementation of the two centres would include 180 scholarships for Master’s and 91 PhD studies over five years, he said, adding that the university had also two other major grants totalling $7.5 million to support its scholarship programmes.
The African Development Bank (AfDB has granted the institution $3.5m, which will be spent to sponsor 30 Master’s and 15 PhD scholarships, while the Programme for Enhanced Health and Productivity of Livestock (PEHPL) will be funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the tune of $4 million. It also incorporates 16 PhD scholarships.
NM-AIST has also been able to attract direct third party scholarships from DAAD of Germany, BG Tanzania Limited, RUFORUM and others.
In the near future, the institution will attract funds for laboratory equipment worth $1 million from the African Capacity Building Foundation and equipment worth the same amount for the ICT Resource Centre from the Indian government.
