Contractor told to speed up completion of UDOM’s Njombe campus

Njombe. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has directed the contractor implementing the construction of the University of Dodoma (UDOM) Njombe Campus to accelerate the pace of work and ensure adherence to required quality standards.

The Sh17.14 billion project involves the construction of six key facilities — an academic block, an administration building, student hostels, workshops, a dispensary, and a cafeteria.

The directive was issued by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Prof Carolyne Nombo, during an inspection tour of the ongoing construction works for the Njombe Campus.

Prof Nombo noted that the project began later than other institutions benefiting from the Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) project, and therefore called for faster progress without compromising quality.

She explained that under the HEET initiative, the government instructed universities to construct campuses in regions without higher learning institutions. As a result, UDOM was allocated Njombe for its new campus.

“The construction of this campus presents a great opportunity for Tanzanians. It demonstrates that higher education is expanding, and the government is investing in new infrastructure to ensure that every child who aspires to study at university has that chance,” she said.

Prof Nombo added that the government has sent more than 500 lecturers abroad for further studies, who, upon their return, will teach at various universities being developed across the country.

“The construction of UDOM’s Njombe Campus is progressing well, with buildings at different stages of completion. However, we have urged the contractor to make up for lost time so that by the 2026/2027 academic year, all the new campuses can begin operations,” Prof Nombo said.

She further instructed the contractor to increase the number of workers and extend working hours to ensure timely completion of the project.

Njombe Regional Administrative Secretary, Ms Judica Omary, urged local residents to take advantage of temporary job opportunities available during the construction period.

“There is still a shortage of construction workers, so I encourage the people of Njombe to participate in this work. These jobs pay well and can help residents meet their daily needs,” said Ms Omary.

Assistant HEET Project Coordinator from UDOM, Dr Happiness Nnko, said the Njombe Campus project has been underway for four months and has reached 26.1 percent completion.

“The construction contract is expected to be completed by May 2026, and by the 2026/2027 academic year, we aim to start student admissions,” said Dr Nnko.

The project contractor, Mr Dickson Mwipopo, assured the ministry that his team would speed up the work to ensure completion within the agreed 12-month contract period.

“We are confident that we will finish the project on schedule and deliver it to the expected quality standards,” said Mr Mwipopo.