NIT recognised for advancing skills development

DAR ES SALAAM: NATIONAL Institute of Transport (NIT) has been commended for successfully completing the East Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project (EASTRIP), which focuses on skills’ development and regional cooperation.

The commendation came from the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) and the World Bank during their visit to NIT’s main campus in Mabibo, Dar es Salaam over the weekend.

EASTRIP Project Coordinator at IUCEA, Dr Cosam Joseph, said the successful implementation of the project by NIT marks a key milestone in advancing workforce skills and promoting sustainable regional development in East Africa.

“We are very satisfied with the quality of the work that has been done here, the contractors have done a great job led by the Institute’s leadership,” he said.

The Institute is not only for Tanzanians but students from all over the East African countries will come for aviation courses here.

“We’ve seen the installed modern training equipment and we believe NIT’s aviation training will meet international standards. Industry professionals will also benefit by upgrading their skills here,” he said.

Dr Cosam praised the government’s significant investment in NIT, expressing confidence that the institute will actively promote its courses beyond the country’s borders.

On his part, Director of Vocational Training at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Dr Fredrick Salukele said about 21 million US dollars have been allocated to implement the EASTRIP project at NIT.

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Dr Salukele said the project will greatly help to produce enough professionals in the transport sector particularly in the aviation.

“Over 80 per cent of the project fund was allocated for infrastructure and training equipment. Today, we visited the developments and thanks to the NIT management team, the buildings are now 100 per cent complete,” he said.

He noted that construction of the hangar at Kilimanjaro International Airport for NIT’s aviation training will begin next month. He added that the government’s strategic projects are underway, with expectations to train local experts through institutions like NIT.

Speaking at the event, NIT Rector Dr Prosper Mgaya thanked the sixth-phase government for supporting the Institute through the EASTRIP project, which has enabled the state institution to offer pilot training for the first time in its history.

Dr Mgaya also stated that they have enrolled 10 students in pilot courses, with 12 more currently awaiting admission.