TIA expands entrepreneurship skills
DODOMA: THE Tanzania Institute of Accountancy (TIA) has shifted from certificatebased education to practical skills, with nearly 100 students already establishing businesses under a programme designed to turn graduates into job creators rather than job seekers.
The initiative has reached more than 5,000 students through entrepreneurship, innovation, employment and international opportunities workshops, while over 500 have received specialised entrepreneurship training to help them identify and exploit economic opportunities.
Speaking at a news conference in Dodoma yesterday, TIA Executive Director, Professor William Pallangyo said the transformation is part of the institution’s strategy to ensure education goes beyond the classroom and equips graduates with practical skills for employment, business and solving community challenges.
“TIA has continued to change the mindset of education from focusing on obtaining certificates to providing knowledge and skills that can be applied in employment, business and solving community challenges,” he said.
He added, “The SixthPhase government has continued to insist that colleges should provide skills that enable graduates to employ themselves or employ others,”.
The institute has also strengthened students’ digital business and financial management skills through training in Tally ERP, National e-Procurement System of Tanzania (NeST) and QuickBooks, enabling them to use technology in running businesses and managing finances.
The practical approach has already produced encouraging results. During innovation competitions held in 2025, students submitted 376 business and innovation ideas, with 57 emerging winners and 17 progressing to commercial implementation.
“These achievements demonstrate how TIA is creating an environment for students to use the knowledge acquired at college to solve challenges and develop business opportunities,” Prof Pallangyo said.
The skills-driven approach has been accompanied by rapid institutional growth, with student enrolment rising by 52.7 per cent from 24,494 in the 2021/22 academic year to 37,397 in 2025/26.
TIA has also expanded from six to eight campuses following the establishment of campuses in Tanga and Zanzibar, joining Dar es Salaam, Singida, Mbeya, Mtwara, Mwanza and Kigoma.
The expansion has been backed by 67.9bn/- in government investment for constructing and upgrading learning infrastructure across the campuses.
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Prof Pallangyo said the investment has increased the institute’s capacity to accommodate more students, improve learning conditions and provide education aligned with labour market demands.
A total of 62,680 students have graduated from TIA during the period, joining the labour market, entrepreneurship and various professional fields.
The institute has further expanded its academic programmes from 49 to 54, including Bachelor’s degrees in Business Development and Entrepreneurship and Economics and Finance, to prepare young people for careers in business and the financial sector.
On research, Prof Pallangyo said TIA conducted eight research projects during the 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years and published 108 research papers in national and international journals on issues including business formalisation, public procurement, environmental management and tourism.
He added that the institute has strengthened student services through its Student Information Management System (SIMS), which manages applications, admissions, registration, payments, examination results and transcripts for about 37,143 students across its eight campuses.
