Govt to NIT: Provide scholarships to young innovators

THE government has ordered the National Institute of Transport (NIT) to provide scholarships to young innovators whose technologies are truly groundbreaking and commercially successful.

Speaking in his first visit to the NIT after being appointed as Deputy-Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works and Transport (Transport), Dr. Ally Possi said: "You must be involved in developing young innovators to help them showcase their creativity."

Dr. Possi told NIT management to ensure that youth with high skills and innovative ideas are well developed.

"You can look for funds to support talented innovators. We are happy to see that this Institute is currently offering programmes that are going hand-in-hand with the government's mega projects including the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and others. For example, the pilot training programme and the courses related to railway and marine will purposely be supporting our mega projects with enough human capital," he advised.

Dr. Possi further called upon NIT to make sure that the pilot training programme at NIT is conducted well, as the government has purchased two airplanes for the training.

On the other hand, the Deputy PS urged vehicle users especially those who are in public transport to go to NIT for regular vehicle inspection so as to avoid accidents.

The NIT Rector, Professor Zacharia Mganilwa said that the institute is currently looking for funds to establish a railway college in Dodoma and a campus in Lindi for maritime studies.

"In Lindi, we have secured a land on which the institute will build a marine college that will support the blue economy. In Dodoma, we have planned to establish Railway College that will train students on railway courses that would also build the wagons," he said.

Meanwhile, in promoting the blue economy, the institute has also introduced a diploma programme on ship construction and repair and a Bachelor's Degree in Shipping and Port Logistics Management (BSPLM) as well as bachelor's degree in naval architecture aiming at producing local technicians and engineers who will be capable of building ships.

"NIT introduced courses on road and railway to support the maritime, because the railway and the road are closely coordinated with maritime sector by transporting goods from or to the ports," The NIT Rector said.

In another development, Prof. Mganilwa said that their institute is a trainer of technologists and managers who are working in the transport sector to strengthen the national industrialization agenda as a way of contributing to the economic growth.