HEET Propels UDSM Toward a Smart Campus Future
By Zamda George, CMU
In a significant move toward a fully digital future, the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) has signed ICT infrastructure contracts worth TZS 10.3 billion, marking a decisive phase in its Smart Campus transformation.
Funded by the World Bank under the Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) Project, this investment will establish a cutting-edge technological backbone to revolutionalise teaching, learning and research.
The contracts, signed on 28 November 2025, will fund advanced network devices, high-performance wireless and wired systems, digital surveillance and monitoring technologies, upgraded fibre backbone infrastructure, and modernised server rooms across all UDSM campuses.
The scope of the contracts also covers installation of furniture in newly constructed academic facilities in Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Lindi and Kagera. These upgrades will ensure that lecture theatres, laboratories and offices provide a comfortable, modern learning environment that complements the University’s expanding digital capabilities.
While the event featured several agreements, the central focus remained on strengthening the University’s digital foundation.
Chairperson of the University Council, Hon. Ambassador Mwanaidi Sinare Maajar, underscored the strategic national role of UDSM in driving technological transformation.
“UDSM is the oldest university in the country, and therefore it must be a model, especially in ICT integration and in the quality of its graduates”, she emphasised, adding that the Council expects UDSM to “attain the digital standards befitting a flagship national university”.
Ambassador Maajar challenged the implementers to act expediently, linking the contracts directly to improved connectivity for staff and students. “Given the scope of the contracts signed this morning, I am confident that within 120 days, the entire UDSM community will have reliable internet access across the Mlimani Campus”.
HEET pushes smart campus roadmap past the halfway mark
Providing aprogress overview, the Deputy Vice Chancellor-Planning, Finance and Administration and HEET Coordinator, Prof. Bernadeta Killian, highlighted how the project is accelerating UDSM’s digital transformation.
She reported that HEET has already enabled implementation of 70% of planned ICT activities, representing 60% completion of the entire Smart Campus Roadmap. “HEET has allowed us to move from concept to reality. We now have a modern, secure and resilient core network with robust safety systems and emergency power capacity”.
According to Prof. Killian, the newly signed contracts will complete the distribution infrastructure that will deliver a high-speed 10Gbps network to all academic, administrative and residential units. The University has already increased its bandwidth from 1.5Gbps to 10Gbps, enabling fast and reliable connectivity to support digital learning, cloud-based systems and data-intensive research.
“The contracts signed today are those that will complete the distribution network needed to bring the 10Gbps capacity to all University units,” she emphasised.
The newly established data centre now hosts critical digital services, including student records, human resources, email, learning management and key research platforms. Improved fibre connectivity has extended beyond Mlimani Campus to Kijitonyama, Mikocheni, Zanzibar, Mbeya, Kunduchi, Dodoma, Nzega and the emerging campuses in Lindi and Kagera, bringing UDSM closer to nationwide digital integration.
Digital learning, exams and administration get a boost
Prof. Killian also highlighted major advances in digital learning systems. The University’s Moodle platform now supports more than 39,000 students and around 1,000 courses, while a new MOOC platform, with 675 registered staff, is positioning UDSM to reach learners nationally and globally. New multimedia studios at CoICT, CoET and Kagera are boosting production of online lectures and digital content.
Classroom upgrades and a digital examination centre, expected to be completed by December 2025, will transform the assessment experience.
On the administrative front, Prof. Killian reported that UDSM has achieved 95% completion of its Single Sign-On system, and is developing Smart ID technology for biometric access and identity authentication. She added that the use of AI and machine learning in academic research is growing, supported by the new infrastructure.
Reflecting on the urgency of digital transformation, Prof. Killian delivered a blunt assessment: “For a university of our size, in this era, we either transform digitally or perish.”
The Vice Chancellor Prof. William A. L. Anangisye placed the day’s developments within the broader national vision. “The implementation of HEET aligns fully with the National Development Vision 2050, UDSM Vision 2061, the University’s Strategic Plan, and our ten-year Smart Campus Roadmap”.
He reported that the HEET Project has reached 81% completion, while the construction of 21 new buildings, soon to be equipped with ICT systems and furnishings, stands at 74% completion. Prof. Anangisye also commended UDSM’s ICT professionals, particularly those from the College of Information and Communication Technologies (CoICT).
“World Bank granted us permission to use our own CoICT experts to prepare specifications and evaluate bids—work that would have cost far more if outsourced. Their contribution has strengthened both the efficiency and ownership of this project”, he stated.
What the ICT contracts will deliver
The contracts include provision of ICT tools for the UDBS Kagera Campus and specialised digital equipment for CoICT, ensuring that new and existing facilities are ready for the next generation of digital services.
These investments will support an environment capable of hosting Internet of Things (IoT) applications, smart buildings, modern CCTV systems, biometric access control, digital examinations and expanded e-learning platforms. They will also lay the foundation for future AI-enabled academic and administrative systems.
With these ICT contracts now in motion, the University of Dar es Salaam is accelerating toward a fully interconnected, digitally enabled and globally competitive learning environment, cementing its position as Tanzania’s premier institution and a regional leader in Smart higher education.