AI guideline in final stages, govt confirms
DODOMA: THE government is in the final stages of preparing a national guideline for the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), a strategic move aimed at guiding Tanzania’s adoption of the fast-evolving technology.
This was announced on Monday by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Mr Mohammed Khamis Abdulla, during the official opening of the 3rd Advanced AI Short Course Training at the University of Dodoma (UDOM).
Mr Abdulla said several initiatives are underway to promote the proper use of AI across the country, including the active involvement of higher learning institutions.
He cited UDOM’s milestone in establishing the African Artificial Intelligence Lab (AfriAI Lab) in 2021, which has been offering AI training to students and professionals from both public and private sectors.
The two-week short course, taking place at the AfriAI Lab from on Monday to September 26th this year, focuses on key areas such as machine learning, deep learning, responsible AI, and natural language processing.
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“Today, the world is rapidly moving toward AI adoption, and as a nation, we must be prepared to keep pace with these advancements,” said Mr Abdulla.
He also revealed the government’s plan to establish a national institute for digital and AI technologies in Nala, Dodoma. The institute will serve as a hub for Tanzanians with ideas in AI to receive training and support.
“Once completed, this institute will play a key role in advancing the use of AI across the country,” he added.
Speaking on behalf of the UDOM Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ismail Ismail said that the AfriAI Lab’s advanced training is part of the university’s wider capacity-building agenda. The aim is to equip participants from across Africa with the latest skills to design and deploy AI solutions in critical sectors.
AfriAI Lab is a collaborative initiative between UDOM and the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST). It was founded to promote research, innovation, and training in AI to tackle Africa’s development challenges.
The AfriAI Lab Project Principal Investigator, , Mr Mohamed Mjahidi noted that this year’s course is being facilitated by top AI experts, many of whom are alumni of UDOM and the Lab itself.
“This training will produce a new generation of AI specialists capable of solving real-world challenges in Tanzania and Africa,” said Mr Mjahidi.
He said the programme selected 20 participants from a pool of 214 applicants, representing institutions such as NM-AIST, UDOM, University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Log AI, NoBS.tech, SUMAIT University, and organisations from Zanzibar.
This is the third cohort since the programme began in 2022, with the second held in 2023. The next session is expected to take place in 2026 or 2027.
Mr Mjahidi also said that graduates from previous cohorts participated in international competitions, including the Tanzania Artificial Intelligence Forum 2025 hosted by the ICT Commission, where they received international recognition and were selected for innovation incubation programmes.
“We expect this year’s participants to follow suit, competing globally and contributing to solving societal challenges using AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain,” he said.
