THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF ZANZIBARP. O. Box 146, Zanzibar - Tanzania

Tel: + 255 24 2230724/2233337/2234063 Fax: + 255 24 2233337Website: http://www.suza.ac.tz

PRESS RELEASE

Prof. Idris Ahmada Rai, the Vice Chancellor of the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA) has been awarded the Africa Education Award at the World Sustainability Congress held in Mauritius on 8-9 December, 2015. Endorsed by World Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Day and other organizations, a number of awards has been given to various leaders in Africa whose leadership in various

organizations and in varying disciplines has demonstrated significant impact to the community. During the awarding ceremony, Prof. Rai joined around 20 other leaders from various sectors in Africa including three Ministers from Malawi, Sierra Leone and Kenya.

Since he joined the State University of Zanzibar as the third Vice Chancellor in 2011, Prof. Rai has strategically led university reforms from a small university made of only one school with just over 1,000 students and only six programs to a university that comprises of five schools with a total of about 3,500 students pursuing 36 programs from a diverse range of disciplines at all levels, namely from certificates to PhD thus making SUZA an important actor in the country’s human capital development.

Additional areas of significant institutional improvement during his leadership include SUZA’s recognition internationally, active staff capacity building, and increased mobilized revenues by more than 5 folds. In short, SUZA has been well positioned regionally and internationally despite the fact that the journey towards achieving its vision and accomplishing its mission is still long. The task ahead is still daunting.