Sustainability
How the University of Dar es Salaam brings environmental, social and governance considerations into teaching, research, consultancy, community engagement and the running of its campuses, and how we are performing against our targets.
Our approach
Sustainability at UDSM is not a separate programme. It runs through our core functions of teaching, research, consultancy and community engagement, and through how we manage our campuses and govern the University.
In 2025/26 the University Council oversaw the establishment of the University's ESG governance structures and approved the ESG and Sustainability Policy. The University completed its first institution-wide greenhouse-gas inventory and prepared its first Annual Sustainability Report under IFRS S1 and IFRS S2.
“Our greatest contribution to sustainable development is delivered through these core functions, complemented by responsible campus operations.”
2025/26 at a glance
Baseline results for the financial year ended 30 June 2026. Comparative figures will be reported from 2026/27.
Sustainability in our core functions
Selected indicators
- Total greenhouse-gas emissions, Scope 1 and 2
- 4,363.55 tCO₂e
- Environment
- Reserved natural forest on University land
- 1,218.75 acres
- Environment
- Undergraduates completing on time
- 87.52%
- Social
- Women in senior management
- 42.5%
- Social
- Independent members of the University Council
- 67%
- Governance
- Procurement from suppliers in Tanzania (TZS 8.817 billion)
- 100%
- Governance
Featured initiatives
Campus projects that put the University's sustainability commitments into practice.
CNG Conversion Centre
Construction continued in 2025/26 on a centre that will convert University vehicles to compressed natural gas in phases, supporting cleaner transport.
Read the story
Water security
Seven borehole sites have been identified and the first borehole drilled, to make campus water supply more secure and resilient.
Read the story
ESG capacity building
Training on ESG principles and IFRS S1 and S2 reporting for the Council, Top Management, Principals, Deans, Directors, Heads of Department and Unit ESG Champions.
Read the storyForest, gardens and indigenous trees
Together with botanical gardens and indigenous tree cover, the University's reserved forest supports biodiversity, watershed protection and a cooler campus microclimate. In 2025/26 we planted 1,420 trees, with an 80% survival rate, and conserved 50 indigenous tree species.
Latest updates
- UDSM steps up El Niño preparedness as special team assesses high-risk areasClimate resilience
- Masters and PhD scholarships: the Tanzania Climate Change Finance Noticeboard for Enhanced Climate Action (CLIFINA)Climate finance
- Three PhD scholarships on climate change, rural livelihoods and nature protection in the Rufiji DeltaResearch
Sustainability at UDSM
How the University reports on sustainability, who is responsible for it, what matters most, and how we manage the related risks and opportunities.
Approach and reporting basis
UDSM reports on sustainability using the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board: IFRS S1 on general requirements and IFRS S2 on climate-related disclosures. Our reporting also responds to NBAA Technical Pronouncement No. 1 of 2024 and Treasury Registrar guidance for public entities, and considers IPSASB SRS 1, Climate-related Disclosures, which applies from 1 January 2028. Preparation is guided by the UDSM ESG and Sustainability Policy Framework.
The Sustainability Report covers the same entity and period as the University's financial statements and forms part of the annual reporting package, alongside the Annual Report and audited financial statements.
Because 2025/26 is the first reporting year, the University applied the first-year transition reliefs in the standards. Comparative figures start from 2026/27, and Scope 3 greenhouse-gas emissions will be added as reliable data becomes available.
Time horizons we plan against
Annual budgeting and operations
Rolling Strategic Plan 2026/27 to 2030/31
Tanzania Development Vision 2050 and long-term estate development
Governance
Sustainability is governed through the University's existing statutory structures rather than as a stand-alone function. Accountability runs from the University Council, through executive management, to the units that carry out initiatives and produce sustainability data.
-
Tier 1Oversight
University Council
Provides ultimate oversight and approves the final sustainability disclosures.
AnnuallyAudit Committee of the Council
Reviews the Annual Report containing ESG disclosures and recommends it to the Council.
Annually and quarterly -
Tier 2Strategic implementation
Planning, Finance and Investment Committee
Reviews sustainability-related planning, resource allocation, capital investment and financial risk.
Annually and quarterlyESG Steering Committee, chaired by the Vice Chancellor
Leads strategic implementation and oversees progress across academic and administrative units.
Annually and quarterly -
Tier 3Coordination and reporting
Directorate of Planning, Development and Investment
Leads sustainability mainstreaming, planning, investment coordination and reporting oversight.
Continuous and quarterlyESG Focal Person and Secretariat
An ESG Coordinator, a Finance representative and a Data Analyst aggregate data, maintain the evidence repository and coordinate reporting.
Continuous and quarterly -
Tier 4Data stewardship and verification
Unit ESG Champions
Collect unit-level data, monitor baselines, verify information, keep the supporting evidence and implement initiatives in their units.
Continuous and quarterly
Material priorities
Between September and November 2025 the University assessed which sustainability matters could reasonably affect its prospects. Each matter was scored for its importance to stakeholders and its potential effect on strategy, operations, finances, reputation and long-term value. Matters scoring 3.5 or more on both scales are Tier 1, highly material; matters scoring 3.0 or more on either scale are Tier 2, significant.
| Priority | Materiality | Principal topics | Our response | Long-term value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academic excellence and student success | Tier 1 | Graduate employability; on-time graduation; teaching quality; research excellence; student success | Enhance teaching quality, research excellence, graduate employability and student success | Higher academic quality, research impact and competitiveness |
| Ethical governance and transparency | Tier 1 | Governance; ethics and integrity; internal controls; anti-corruption; accountability | Strengthen governance, ethics, accountability, risk management and oversight | Greater stakeholder confidence and institutional resilience |
| Environmental stewardship and climate resilience | Tier 2 | Energy; greenhouse-gas emissions; waste management; climate resilience | Improve energy efficiency, greenhouse-gas management, waste management and climate resilience | A smaller footprint and more sustainable campus operations |
| Student and staff well-being | Tier 2 | Occupational health and safety; staff development; diversity and inclusion; student welfare | Promote occupational health and safety, diversity, inclusion and staff development | A healthy, inclusive and productive university community |
| Positive community and economic impact | Tier 2 | Community engagement; local procurement; partnerships; socio-economic contribution | Expand community engagement, consultancy, partnerships and local economic contribution | Greater societal impact and contribution to national development |
Matters not assessed as material for separate disclosure this year, such as water consumption, baseline environmental regulatory compliance, average training hours and routine administrative processes, continue to be monitored and will be reassessed periodically.
How we create value
Sustainability is a cross-cutting enabler in the Rolling Strategic Plan 2026/27 to 2030/31, supporting the University's aspiration to be a leading centre of intellectual wealth spearheading the quest for sustainable and inclusive development. The model below traces how resources become lasting value.
Inputs
- Human capital
- Financial resources
- Infrastructure
- Partnerships
- Knowledge
- Natural resources
Core functions
- Teaching and learning
- Research and innovation
- Consultancy
- Community engagement
- Campus operations
- Institutional management
Outputs
- Graduates
- Research outputs
- Innovations
- Consultancy services
- Community programmes
- Institutional services
Outcomes
- Improved graduate employability
- Research impact
- Stakeholder confidence
- Operational efficiency
- Environmental stewardship
Long-term value
- Academic excellence
- Institutional resilience
- Sustainable resource management
- National development
- Societal well-being
Risks, opportunities and climate
Sustainability-related risks and opportunities are identified and monitored through the University's enterprise risk management processes, the materiality assessment and periodic management review.
Principal sustainability-related risks and opportunities
| Priority | Risk | Opportunity | Our response | Horizon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academic excellence and student success | Curriculum becoming less responsive to emerging sustainability needs | Curriculum innovation and interdisciplinary programmes | Periodic curriculum review; stronger integration | Medium |
| Ethical governance and transparency | Increasing regulatory and reporting requirements | Stronger accountability and stakeholder confidence | Strengthen ESG governance and compliance systems | Short to medium |
| Environmental stewardship and climate resilience | Rising energy costs, water stress and climate impacts | Resource efficiency and renewable-energy adoption | Energy efficiency, renewables and climate adaptation | Medium to long |
| Student and staff well-being | Challenges in attracting and retaining talent, and occupational health | Higher productivity, inclusion and staff development | Staff development, well-being and inclusive policies | Medium |
| Community and economic impact | Reduced stakeholder engagement and partnership opportunities | More consultancy, research partnerships and engagement | Strengthen strategic partnerships and outreach | Medium |
Climate-related risks and opportunities
| Matter | Type | Potential impact | Our response | Horizon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Increasing energy costs | Risk | Higher spending on electricity and fuel | Improve energy efficiency; evaluate cleaner-energy alternatives | Short to medium |
| Water stress and changing climatic conditions | Risk | Pressure on water availability and campus operations | Strengthen water conservation and efficient resource management | Medium to long |
| Extreme weather events | Risk | Damage to infrastructure and disruption of core functions | Build climate resilience into campus planning, maintenance and emergency preparedness | Medium to long |
| Transition to cleaner energy and transport | Opportunity | Lower emissions, better efficiency and leadership through the CNG Conversion Centre | Promote clean-energy technologies, support CNG adoption, expand climate research and partnerships | Medium to long |
Financial effects in 2025/26
Drawn from the University's financial and operational records and reconciled with the draft financial statements.
Costs
- ElectricityTZS 2.43 billionExpenses, Note 22 (electricity)
- Water, 1,029,480 m³TZS 1.94 billionExpenses, Note 22 (water charges)
- Diesel for fleet and generators, 317,729 litresTZS 899.2 millionExpenses, Note 22 (fuel and lubricants)
- Petrol for fleet and generators, 12,898.57 litresTZS 243.2 millionExpenses, Note 22 (fuel and lubricants)
Revenue
- Fees from 572 sustainability-related consultanciesTZS 19.89 billionRevenue, Note 18 (consultancy fees)
- Sustainability-related research and climate grantsTZS 50.99 billionRevenue, Note 17 (development grants)
Climate resilience
The University is building climate considerations into campus planning, infrastructure development and resource management, and will add more complete resilience and scenario assessments over time.
Reported greenhouse-gas emissions are gross. Carbon removed by campus vegetation, including about 1,218.75 acres of reserved natural forest, has not yet been quantified and will be disclosed separately using a recognised methodology.
Some financial effects, such as efficiency savings, compliance costs and climate-adaptation investment, are not yet separately quantified. They will be disclosed as the University's sustainability information systems mature.
Sustainability in action
Where sustainability shows up in the University's everyday work, with the evidence behind it.
Teaching and learning
In 2025/26 the University mapped all of its ratified academic programmes against sustainability principles, ESG dimensions and the Sustainable Development Goals.
- academic programmes mapped
- 136
- courses assessed
- 1,781
- of courses integrate sustainability
- 96.4%
- address or embed it directly
- 80.6%
How the 1,781 courses relate to sustainability
- Sustainability embedded in course content756
- Course directly addresses sustainability680
- Supporting or enabling content280
- No identifiable linkage65
Research and innovation
Most of the University's research output addresses environmental, social or governance challenges.
- scholarly outputs in 2025/26
- 838
- of them ESG-related
- 765
- active research projects
- 206
- of them ESG-related
- 190
Themes covered
- Climate change
- Renewable energy
- Biodiversity
- Sustainable agriculture
- Public health
- Gender equality
- Natural-resource management
- Taxation
- Environmental accounting
- Governance
Institute of Resource Assessment (IRA)
Coordinates multidisciplinary research on natural resources, land, water and biodiversity management, sustainable agriculture and nature-based solutions.
Visit IRACentre for Climate Change Studies (CCCS)
Advances climate science, mitigation, adaptation and resilience; renewable energy and low-carbon development; and climate finance and disaster-risk management.
Visit our research centresConsultancy and community engagement
UDSM experts take sustainability knowledge beyond the campus through consultancy and professional services for public, private and development-sector clients, and through programmes with local communities.
- Consultancy and professional-service assignments654
- Assignments with a direct or enabling contribution to sustainability572 (87.5%)
- External organisations reached273
- Fees from sustainability-related consultancyTZS 19.89 billion
- Community outreach programmes5
- Staff and student wellness programmes7
- Procurement from suppliers in Tanzania100%TZS 8.817 billion of goods and services, supporting domestic suppliers and potentially lowering transport-related emissions
Sharing what we know
Through research, policy support and capacity building, IRA and CCCS contribute to Tanzania's development priorities and the SDGs while strengthening UDSM's regional leadership in sustainability research.
Editor note (CMU): add two or three named consultancy or outreach examples here once DPDI confirms which can be made public.
Campus operations
2025/26 set the environmental baseline across energy, water, waste and natural assets. Purchased electricity produces 80.7% of our reported emissions, so energy efficiency and renewable energy come first.
Energy and transport
- Purchased electricity
- 6,930,204 kWh
- Electricity per person
- 154.8 kWh
- Solar electricity generated
- 56,505.5 kWh
- CNG Conversion Centre
- Under construction
Target: electricity intensity 2% lower by 2027.
Water
- Water consumed
- 1,029,480 m³
- Water per person
- 23.0 m³
- Borehole sites identified
- 7
- Boreholes drilled
- 1
Target: water intensity 2% lower by 2027.
Waste
- Paper recycled
- 2 of 60 tonnes (3.3%)
- Plastic bottles
- 20,262 kg
- Healthcare (hazardous) waste
- 3,995 kg
- Electronic waste
- 120 kg
Target: 10% of paper recycled by 2027.
Natural assets
- Reserved natural forest
- 1,218.75 acres
- Trees planted
- 1,420
- Tree survival rate
- 80%
- Indigenous tree species conserved
- 50
Carbon removals from campus vegetation are not yet quantified.
Impact stories
Short accounts of sustainability work across the University.
Preparing the University fleet for natural gas
Construction of the CNG Conversion Centre continued during 2025/26. The centre will support phased conversion of University vehicles to compressed natural gas, helping to reduce Scope 1 emissions from diesel and petrol, which stood at 843.01 tCO₂e this year, and providing a platform for wider technical services.
Securing water for a campus community of 44,758
The University used 1,029,480 m³ of water in 2025/26, about 23.0 m³ per person, at a cost of TZS 1.94 billion. Seven borehole sites have been identified and the first borehole drilled, strengthening water security as climate conditions change.
Building ESG skills from the Council to every unit
Awareness and capacity-building programmes reached the Council, Top Management, Principals, Deans, Directors, Heads of Department and Unit ESG Champions. During the year 561 employees received ESG training, and every member of senior management completed ethics training.
Performance and the SDGs
Our baseline results for 2025/26, the targets we have set for 2027, and how our work contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Performance dashboard
Status ratings are shown where the University has rated an indicator against its target. Indicators marked "not rated" are tracked from this baseline year towards their 2027 targets.
- Target achieved or on track
- Near target
- Baseline or monitoring
- Improvement priority
| Indicator | 2025/26 | Target or direction, 2027 | Status |
|---|
Greenhouse-gas emissions
The University's first greenhouse-gas inventory totals 4,363.55 tCO₂e for Scope 1 and Scope 2, or 0.097 tCO₂e per person. Scope 3 emissions will be added progressively under first-year relief.
How these figures were calculated
Scope 1 (direct): fuel consumed multiplied by UK DESNZ / GHG Protocol 2025 emission factors of 2.57 kg CO₂e per litre of diesel and 2.05 kg CO₂e per litre of petrol. Diesel: 317,729.07 litres, 816.56 tCO₂e. Petrol: 12,898.57 litres, 26.44 tCO₂e.
Scope 2 (purchased electricity): 6,930,204 kWh multiplied by the Tanzania grid factor of 0.000508 tCO₂e per kWh (UNFCCC / IGES), giving 3,520.54 tCO₂e.
Intensity: 4,363.55 tCO₂e divided by a campus population of 44,758. Emissions are reported gross; carbon removals by campus vegetation are not yet quantified.
- Scope 1 reduction target by 2027
- −3%
- Scope 2 reduction target by 2027
- −5%
- tCO₂e per person in the reporting boundary
- 0.097
Contribution to the SDGs
UDSM contributes to all 17 Sustainable Development Goals through teaching, research, consultancy, community engagement, governance and campus operations. Select a Goal to see our contribution and the 2025/26 evidence behind it.
Reports and updates
Our sustainability reports, the policies behind them, and news of sustainability work across the University.
Annual Sustainability Report 2025/2026
The University's first sustainability report sets out its sustainability governance, strategy, material priorities, risk management, climate-related disclosures and performance, and its contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Download PDFPolicies and guidelines
News and updates
- UDSM steps up El Niño preparedness as special team assesses high-risk areasClimate resilience
- Masters and PhD scholarships: the Tanzania Climate Change Finance Noticeboard for Enhanced Climate Action (CLIFINA)Climate finance
- CREATE-GreenAfrica project: short-term MSc, PhD, traineeship and staff mobility scholarshipsClimate research
- Three PhD scholarships on climate change, rural livelihoods and nature protection in the Rufiji DeltaResearch
- Short course: climate finance and green economyShort courses
- Short course: carbon tradeShort courses
Questions about sustainability at UDSM
ESG Focal Person, Directorate of Planning, Development and Investment
University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35091, Dar es Salaam
Email: dpdi@udsm.ac.tz
Tel: +255 (0) 22 2410500-8