UNJournal Lee Sung Jun | Tanzanian Ambassador to South Korea Noel Emmanuel Kaganda led a delegation to Korea Aerospace University (KAUT) on September 2 to discuss expanding cooperation in education, research and talent development across aerospace, artificial intelligence, and science and technology.

The meeting was attended by KAUT President Hur Hee-young, the university's Director of External Affairs, and Distinguished Professor Lee Jin-sang. The two sides agreed to pursue substantive cooperation projects in education, research and personnel exchange, building on years of established ties between the university and Tanzania.

"Based on the foundation of cooperation we have built with Tanzania so far, I expect that we can pursue more concrete projects for education, research, and human resource exchange in the future," President Hur said, adding that he hoped to create "a practical cooperation model centered on the aviation sector that allows our two countries to grow together."

Growing Demand for Aviation Training

Ambassador Kaganda, marking three months in his post, outlined the Tanzanian government's policy direction toward strengthening cooperation with South Korea in science, technology and AI, and said he intended to actively support turning that cooperation into concrete projects. He noted that Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan visited KAUT in June 2024 to receive an honorary doctorate, and said the university has already been identified as an optimal partner for developing Tanzania's aerospace technology sector.

"Now, the important thing is to put the cooperation foundation we have built into concrete projects," Kaganda said, pointing to rising demand for trained aviation professionals in Tanzania. He explained that as airport construction and expansion continue and the country's aircraft fleet grows, Tanzania faces a shortage of educational institutions and specialized training programs to meet workforce needs.

Kaganda said the Tanzanian Embassy in Seoul would work to facilitate discussions between KAUT and the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority, with which the university has already signed a memorandum of understanding. If cooperation advances, officials expect joint educational programs and expert exchanges to expand beyond flight operations, aircraft maintenance, airport management and aviation safety to include drone and space technology fields.

Presidential Scholarship Program

A major agenda item during the meeting was the possibility of KAUT participating in Tanzania's newly established Presidential Scholarship program, which sends top science and technology students selected through national examinations to study at prestigious universities abroad.

Kaganda said he intended to actively pursue sending scholarship students to KAUT, citing the university's specialized education and research infrastructure in aviation, space and AI as well suited to training the professionals Tanzania needs. Officials said that if the program moves forward, cooperation could expand beyond degree studies to include short-term training, joint research and faculty and student exchanges.

Campus Tour and Next Steps

Following the meeting, Kaganda and his delegation toured KAUT's A300 aircraft and other educational facilities to examine the university's aviation training environment, expressing strong interest in its field-oriented, aircraft-based education model. Kaganda said he would work to arrange a visit by a KAUT delegation to Tanzania to review the country's aviation industry and educational environment firsthand and discuss further steps toward cooperation.

KAUT said it expects the visit to help expand cooperation with Tanzania centered on talent development and research exchange in aerospace, AI and science and technology, with potential to grow into broader industry-academia collaboration involving universities, research institutions and industry in both countries. Going forward, the two sides plan to work with the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority to formalize cooperation, including scholarship exchanges, joint educational programs, researcher and student exchanges, and training for local aviation professionals.