Samia scholarship window opens for form six graduates

Arusha. The government has launched the application window for the Samia Extended Scholarship Programme, a fully funded initiative aimed at nurturing top-performing form six science students for advanced studies in global centres of excellence.

Officially titled "Samia Extended Scholarship for Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Allied Sciences", the programme targets recent form six graduates with strong academic backgrounds in science and advanced mathematics.

It aims to build a new generation of Tanzanian experts in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Computational Science.

Launching the programme at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) in Arusha, the minister for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Adolf Mkenda, said that 700 students from the 2025 form six cohort are eligible to apply.

“From these, the top 50 students—drawn from both mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar—will attend a 10-month intensive bootcamp at NM-AIST before enrolling at leading global universities,” said Prof Mkenda.

The remaining 650 students will pursue studies in specialised science and technology institutions within Tanzania.

“This marks a new national trajectory towards a digitally-driven economy,” Prof Mkenda said. “We are investing in human capital to ensure Tanzania contributes to global solutions in areas such as health, education, agriculture, security, and the environment.”

Costech director general Amos Nundu said the programme unfolds in three phases: a national bootcamp offering training in AI, data science, national ethics and global awareness; placement at top universities such as MIT (USA), Oxford (UK), IIT Madras (India), and Peking University (China); and local postgraduate training through international partnerships.

“This initiative reflects our commitment to building a self-reliant and knowledge-based economy,” said Mr Nundu.

NM-AIST Vice Chancellor Prof Maulilio Kipanyula said the programme—implemented by COSTECH in collaboration with NM-AIST, the Tanzanian diaspora and international partners—is more than just a scholarship.

“It is a patriotic investment in Tanzania’s future,” he said.