DAR ES SALAAM — The World Bank has approved $550 million in financing for Tanzania, with $300 million dedicated to an education programme aimed at strengthening skills development for young people, according to the Ministry of Finance.
The financing comes as the government widens support for study at home and abroad. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, led by Prof. Adolf Mkenda, has expanded the Samia Scholarship programme, selecting 1,050 top performers from the 2026 Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (ACSEE). Fifty of them will be fully funded to study abroad in high-demand fields such as artificial intelligence and data science.
Funding for higher education loans and grants, managed by the Higher Education Students’ Loans Board (HESLB), has risen from Sh916.7 billion in 2025/26 to Sh1.06 trillion for the 2026/27 academic year. The allocation is expected to support nearly 292,463 beneficiaries.
Separately, Global Education Link (GEL) has facilitated travel documents and departures for hundreds of Tanzanian students heading to India, China, Malaysia, the US and the UK, with a focus on technical and digital economy skills.
For banks, telecoms and other employers, the combined effect is a growing pipeline of graduates trained in digital and technical fields, backed by larger public financing. Whether those graduates return to work in Tanzania will shape how much of that investment benefits the local market.
