Eight new programmes target skills gaps including AI

DAR ES SALAAM: THE rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), data-driven technologies and emerging economic activities is reshaping the skills Tanzania needs from its universities, with Ardhi University (ARU) positioning itself at the centre of this transformation through a major expansion of specialised academic programmes.

Once largely associated with computing and technology companies, AI is increasingly finding applications across construction, agriculture, water management, environmental protection, business, infrastructure planning and other sectors of the economy.

Recognising this shift, ARU has introduced a Bachelor of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence among eight new undergraduate programmes supported through the Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) project, increasing its undergraduate programmes from 22 to 30.

The expansion reflects the university’s effort to align higher education with emerging economic opportunities and practical development challenges as Tanzania moves towards implementing the Tanzania Development Vision 2050 (Dira 2050).

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Daily News recently, ARU Head of Quality Assurance, Associate Professor Shadrack Sabai, said the new programmes were developed in response to identified skills gaps rather than simply to increase the number of courses offered.

“The idea is not just to add programmes. We are responding to emerging needs and areas where the country requires specialised expertise,” Prof Sabai said.

The eight programmes are Bachelor of Construction Management; Bachelor of Building Surveying and Construction Maintenance; Bachelor of Geospatial Information and Communication Technology; Bachelor of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence; Bachelor of Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering; Bachelor of Integrated Water and Resource Recovery Engineering; Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Hydrographic and Oceanographic Science.

Prof Sabai, who also serves as President of the Tanzanian Universities Quality Assurance Forum, said the programmes are intended to produce graduates capable of turning societal challenges into opportunities and practical solutions.

“We hope and expect that graduates who are well trained, knowledgeable, skilled and competent in their fields of specialisation will be able to transform the problems of our society into opportunities and provide solutions,” he said.

Among the new programmes, the Bachelor of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence perhaps most visibly captures the changing character of the university and the wider economy.

The programme is designed to equip students with skills in data science, machine learning and AI, enabling them to analyse information, manage data, automate activities and develop technology based solutions to practical problems. Prof Sabai said the objective goes beyond producing graduates who understand AI in theory.

“The focus is on using machine learning and artificial intelligence to simplify activities, analyse information, manage data and develop solutions to practical problems,” he said.

The programme has already attracted strong interest. Prof Sabai said ARU initially planned to admit 70 students in the 2026/27 academic year, but eventually admitted 77 after applying the permitted additional capacity.

He said the demand reflects growing awareness among students of opportunities emerging from data, digital technologies and AI.

However, ARU sees AI as more than an employment-oriented programme. The university wants to develop specialists capable of creating technologies that respond to Tanzania’s circumstances rather than simply importing solutions developed elsewhere.

Prof Sabai said technologies developed in other parts of the world may be based on variables, assumptions and datasets that do not necessarily correspond with Tanzanian realities.

“Local expertise enables us to develop solutions based on local data and local problems,” he said.

He said this is particularly important as Tanzania implements Dira 2050, which requires the country to move beyond traditional and largely manual approaches towards greater use of technology and innovation.

“We expect that our current practice, which is more manual and based on traditional means, will have to change. We have to come up with technologies which will help transform our daily activities from being totally manual to at least semi-automated or automated,” he said.

Prof Sabai said AI can help simplify and speed up activities while improving the quality and usefulness of results.

The significance of the AI programme becomes clearer when viewed alongside the other seven programmes introduced through the HEET-supported expansion.

Together, they connect technology with physical infrastructure, natural resources, environmental management, business and the blue economy.

The Bachelor of Geospatial Information and Communication Technology, for instance, combines geographical information with information and communication technologies to strengthen the country’s capacity to understand geographical conditions, identify risks and improve planning.

Prof Sabai said graduates can use spatial information to help authorities and communities detect and respond to threats from natural disasters, including El Niño and earthquakes.

As more information becomes available through digital mapping, sensors and other technologies, specialists will need the ability to interpret such information and turn it into usable knowledge.

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The same principle applies to water management. Tanzania’s development depends heavily on reliable water supplies, while communities and economic activities can face both shortages during dry periods and flooding during heavy rains.

Prof Sabai said the Bachelor of Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering is intended to produce specialists capable of studying rainfall, surface water, groundwater and other components of the water cycle.

“The question is not only whether we have water but whether we can manage and retain the available water for use throughout the year,” he said.

Better understanding of rainfall patterns, water flows, groundwater systems and changing landscapes increasingly depends on the ability to collect, analyse and interpret large quantities of information, creating another area where data science and AI can support development.

The Bachelor of Integrated Water and Resource Recovery Engineering addresses another challenge associated with economic growth, particularly the management of waste generated by mining, agriculture, manufacturing and urban activities.

Prof Sabai said the programme seeks to train specialists capable of treating waste, protecting water sources and recovering useful materials.

The concept is to move away from viewing waste simply as the end of a production process and instead identify materials that can be recovered and transformed into inputs for other products or economic activities.

On the other hand, the Bachelor of Construction Management is intended to produce professionals capable of coordinating the various activities involved in construction projects, bringing together architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, contractors, technicians, suppliers and workers.

“The construction project has to be looked at as a whole,” Prof Sabai said.

He said construction managers would help coordinate site activities, materials, safety, professionals and surrounding communities, making the programme particularly relevant as Tanzania continues to expand its infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the Bachelor of Building Surveying and Construction Maintenance focuses on the management of buildings after construction.

Prof Sabai said buildings require inspection, maintenance and management throughout their useful lives, with specialists expected to identify defects, assess structural conditions and recommend appropriate interventions.

“The country needs specialists who can examine existing buildings before serious structural problems develop,” he said.

The programme therefore extends ARU’s contribution beyond constructing new infrastructure to ensuring that existing buildings remain safe and functional.

Business provides another link between technical knowledge and economic transformation.

Prof Sabai said ARU produces specialists and innovators, but technical knowledge alone does not always ensure that innovations reach consumers.

“Technical knowledge alone does not always guarantee that an innovation reaches the consumer,” he said.

Business specialists can therefore help innovators understand markets, identify customers, develop commercial strategies and transform ideas into viable enterprises.

He cited an ARU graduate innovation involving human hair collected from salons and used to produce fertiliser as an example of how a technical innovation may require business expertise to reach the market.

The eighth programme, Bachelor of Hydrographic and Oceanographic Science, expands ARU’s focus from landbased development to Tanzania’s aquatic environment.

With its extensive coastline and marine resources, Tanzania has opportunities in fisheries, seaweed farming, marine transport and other activities associated with the blue economy.

“We need to move beyond simply having marine resources to developing the expertise required to use them sustainably,” Prof Sabai said.

He said hydrographic and oceanographic specialists can contribute to surveying, mapping and understanding the marine environment, supporting navigation, marine planning and the sustainable use of aquatic resources.

The new programmes are supported by investments under the HEET project, worth 29 million US dollars (about 77bn/-), whose implementation officially began at ARU in 2022.

The project has supported learning infrastructure, including classrooms, laboratories, practical facilities and specialised learning spaces.

Among the facilities is a dedicated AI laboratory, while the university has also established an engineering workshop, seven laboratories and a studio supporting architecture and related design activities. Prof Sabai said specialised programmes cannot rely entirely on classroom instruction.

“An AI student needs access to computing equipment and data. A hydrology student needs practical exposure to water systems. A construction management student needs to understand real construction environments,” he said.

The university has consequently adopted a project-oriented approach to learning, combining classroom instruction with practical activities, projects and studios.

“The objective is to ensure that students do not graduate with theoretical knowledge alone,” Prof Sabai said.

The expansion is also expected to increase the university’s student population significantly.

Prof Sabai said ARU currently has about 10,000 students but expects the number to reach 14,000 by the 2029/30 academic year following the introduction of the new programmes. In the 2026/27 academic year alone, the university expects to admit more than 3,000 students.

He said three of the new programmes: Bachelor of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Bachelor of Construction Management and Bachelor of Building Surveying and Construction Maintenance had already started, while the remaining programmes were scheduled to commence during the 2026/27 academic year.

Prof Sabai said the university follows a structured process before introducing new programmes.

Proposed curricula undergo consultations with stakeholders before passing through university approval structures, relevant professional boards and the Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) for accreditation.

The process is particularly important for programmes linked to regulated professions because professional bodies assess curricula and recommend improvements before accreditation.

Looking ahead, Prof Sabai said ARU expects the new programmes to contribute to Tanzania’s economy by producing technical personnel capable of developing technological solutions to national challenges.

“By 2050, ARU will be contributing to the national economy by producing a good number of technical people who will come up with technological solutions to our problems,” he said.

The broader motive behind the HEET-supported expansion is therefore not simply to produce more graduates, but to produce specialists capable of addressing practical challenges.

As Tanzania increasingly embraces digitalisation, infrastructure development, environmental management and new economic frontiers, the impact of the programmes will ultimately be measured beyond the university gates.

It will be reflected in technologies developed, buildings made safer, water resources better managed, waste converted into useful resources, businesses created and marine resources used more sustainably.