IIT Madras to open first overseas IIT campus in Zanzibar after India-Tanzania accord

India's Ministry of Education, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) and Zanzibar's Ministry of Education and Vocational Training signed a memorandum of understanding on July 5, 2023 to set up an IIT Madras campus in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The signing was witnessed by Zanzibar's president and India's external affairs minister. It is the first IIT campus to be established outside India.

In a release dated July 10, 2023, IIT Madras said classes would begin in October 2023 with two programs: a four-year Bachelor of Science and a two-year Master of Technology, both in data science and artificial intelligence. Total intake for the first year was set at 70 students. Admission is through a screening test designed by IIT Madras faculty, followed by an interview. A temporary campus in the Bweleo district includes classrooms, offices, auditoriums, student housing and dining facilities, and a permanent campus is planned on more than 200 acres.

IIT Madras said a plan for how its academic programs there will evolve is being drawn up and that faculty would initially be deputed from IIT Madras or recruited from India. The Government of India is also offering scholarships for Tanzanian and Zanzibari citizens to study at IIT Madras in Chennai. A later release gave August 5, 2023 as the application deadline for the first intake.