- Thursday, April 24, 2025
An agreement was signed between India’s education ministry, IIT Madras and Zanzibar’s ministry of education and vocational training.
By: Shubham Ghosh
THE first overseas campus of India’s elite Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) is set to come up in Zanzibar in Tanzania, the country’s ministry of external affairs (MEA) informed on Thursday (6).
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was inked on Wednesday (5) for setting up of a campus of IIT Madras, one of India’s top higher education institutes located in Chennai (formerly called Madras), in Zanzibar — a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of the east African country in the Indian Ocean.
The agreement was reached in the presence of Indian external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Zanzibar’s president Hussein Ali Mwinyi (Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous province of Tanzania).
Jaishankar tweeted, “Attending the agreement for setting up the IIT Madras campus in Zanzibar which he said reflected India’s commitment to the Global South, Jaishankar tweeted, “Witnessed the signing of the agreement on setting up of @iitmadras Zanzibar campus. Appreciate President @DrHmwinyi gracing the occasion, as also the presence of his Ministers. This historic step reflects India’s commitment to the Global South.”
Witnessed the signing of the agreement on setting up of @iitmadras Zanzibar campus.
Appreciate President @DrHmwinyi gracing the occasion, as also the presence of his Ministers.
This historic step reflects India’s commitment to the Global South. pic.twitter.com/X3vdnICnSE
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 5, 2023
“The first IIT campus to be set up outside India will be in Zanzibar,” the MEA said.
It also said that an MoU was signed between India’s education ministry, IIT Madras and Zanzibar’s ministry of education and vocational training.
“This campus is reflective of the longstanding friendship between India and Tanzania and a reminder of the focus India places on building people to people ties across Africa and the Global South,” the ministry added.
It also said that India’s National Education Policy 2020 recommends that “high performing Indian universities will be encouraged to set up campuses in other countries”.
The MEA added that the relationship of educational partnership has been formalised between India and Tanzania, keeping in mind their strategic partnership.
“Recognising the strategic partnership between Tanzania and India, the relationship of educational partnership has been formalised by signing the document which provides the framework for the parties to detail out the setting up of the proposed campus of IIT Madras in Zanzibar-Tanzania, with plans to launch programmes in October 2023,” the MEA said, PTI reported.
Jaishankar reached Tanzania on Wednesday (5) for a four-day visit. On board Indian naval ship INS Trishul along with Al Mwinyi in Zanzibar, the diplomat said the presence of the ship there is a statement of “SAGAR commitment”.
SAGAR or Security and Growth for All in the Region is New Delhi’s policy of maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region.
Attended a deck reception hosted onboard INS Trishul with President of Zanzibar @DrHmwinyi.
Welcomed the presence of the Speaker, Ministers, MPs, senior officers from Tanzanian Defence Forces and Indian diaspora.
INS Trishul’s presence in Zanzibar today is a statement of our… pic.twitter.com/jDbzZMeGfI
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 5, 2023
“Attended a deck reception hosted onboard INS Trishul with President of Zanzibar @DrHmwinyi. Welcomed the presence of the Speaker, Ministers, MPs, senior officers from Tanzanian Defence Forces and Indian diaspora. INS Trishul’s presence in Zanzibar today is a statement of our SAGAR commitment,” Jaishankar tweeted on Thursday.
Delighted to meet President of Zanzibar Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi.
Appreciated his strong commitment to stronger India-Zanzibar partnership. Our development partnership and defence cooperation are domains with which he is closely associated.@DrHmwinyi pic.twitter.com/kLKCtFpUZe
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 5, 2023
After his two-day stop at Zanzibar, Jaishankar will head for Dar-es-Salaam city of Tanzania for another two days.
There, he will co-chair the 10th India-Tanzania Joint Commission Meeting with his counterpart and call on the country’s top leadership, including several cabinet-rank ministers.
He will also meet with the members of the Parliamentary Friendship Group for India and inaugurate an India-Tanzania business meeting. Jaishankar will also inaugurate a bust of Indian leader Swami Vivekananda in Dar-es-Salaam, the press release said.
(With PTI inputs)
