Tanzania, India forge partnership to empower young engineers

DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA and India have announced plans to collaborate in supporting professional development of young engineers through training exchange programmes aimed at enhancing their skills and employability in the global job market.

Speaking at the Structured Engineers Apprenticeship Programme (SEAP) induction seminar in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, Registrar of the Engineers Registration Board (ERB), Engineer Benard Kavishe noted the importance of leveraging Tanzania’s bilateral ties with India and other countries to unlock the potential of local engineering talent.

Eng Kavishe revealed that the ERB has already signed a Memorandum of Intent (MoI) with the Engineering Council of India (ECI) to help young engineers advance their careers through exchange programmes.

These programmes will enable Tanzanian engineers to share the latest skills and technologies with their Indian counterparts. The MoI also facilitates the movement of engineering personnel between the two countries.

“Young engineers make up 70 per cent of Tanzania’s engineering workforce, so it is crucial to support them as they complement senior engineers in driving key infrastructure projects such as roads and airports,” Eng Kavishe said.

He added that the ERB has also entered agreements with five other East African countries, including Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda, to promote collaboration and partnerships aimed at upskilling young engineers and broadening their job market exposure. “We want our young engineers to be able to cross borders and serve international markets,” he said.

Eng Kavishe said the ERB is making efforts to address gender disparity in the engineering sector.

Currently, he said, only three out of every ten engineers are women, meaning 70 per cent of the workforce being male. With a national total of 42,000 engineers, the ERB has set a target to achieve gender parity by 2030, promoting inclusivity and sustainable development.

To encourage more girls to pursue engineering, the ERB has launched a STEM initiative. Through this outreach programme, experts from the board have been visiting schools to inspire female students to study science subjects. The STEM programme aims to inspire both boys and girls to major in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

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Registrar of the Engineering Council of India, Dr Priya Swarup said that India is committed to collaborating with Tanzania in empowering young engineers through capacity-building programmes focused on practical training.

“We are here to support a system where Indian and Tanzanian engineers can work together,” Dr Swarup added.