Tanzania seeks Abbott support to train medical engineers

DODOMA: Tanzania is seeking support from the Abbott Fund to equip medical engineering training workshops with modern equipment, enabling local graduates to maintain, repair and manufacture medical devices used in hospitals.

The initiative is intended to strengthen technical skills, develop local expertise and reduce reliance on external specialists for medical equipment maintenance and repair.

Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Adolf Mkenda, said the government wanted to extend its longstanding partnership with Abbott into education, particularly medical engineering, to prepare more Tanzanians to manage and service medical technology.

Speaking on November 5, 2026, at the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT) Dodoma Campus during a visit by Abbott Fund President Melissa D. Brotza, Prof Mkenda said the new campus was preparing to enrol students for advanced medical engineering training.

He said collaboration with Abbott would help equip the institution’s workshops with modern technology, giving students practical experience in operating, repairing and maintaining medical equipment.

Abbott has supported Tanzania’s health sector through the provision of medical equipment to hospitals across the country. The government now intends to extend this cooperation to training professionals who can maintain the equipment and strengthen local technical capacity.

The minister said the government was also engaging Shannon College in Ireland to establish academic cooperation that would align local training programmes with international standards while addressing Tanzania’s skills requirements.

He added that plans were underway to establish similar technical colleges in Mwanza, Kigoma, Mtwara, Zanzibar and Morogoro to expand access to advanced technical education and skills development.

During a separate visit to Dodoma Technical College (DTC) in Nala, Ms Brotza said Tanzania’s investment in education and ongoing reforms reflected efforts to equip young people with knowledge and skills needed to contribute to economic growth.

She said the Abbott Fund’s 26-year partnership with Tanzania covered health, education and library development, adding that the reforms demonstrated the government’s long-term commitment to education.

Ms Brotza also acknowledged the leadership of President Samia Suluhu Hassan and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in positioning education as a driver of skills development, innovation and economic transformation.

She assured the government that the fund would continue assessing proposed areas of investment and cooperation while reaffirming its commitment to expanding educational opportunities and developing a skilled workforce.

She added that it was encouraging to see the government’s education vision, first discussed with the fund in 2022, translating into investments in infrastructure and learning opportunities.