University of Dar es Salaam is the oldest and largest university in Tanzania. It was born out of a decision in 1970 by the East African Authority to split the then University of East Africa into three independent universities for Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The three universities remain close to this day through an Inter-University Exchange Program.

Offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees, the university boasts nine faculties, among them law, arts and social science, science, and aquatic science and technology. It also runs five institutes, including both an Institute of Development Studies and an Institute of Mass Communication and Journalism. Student numbers have increased six-fold in the past thirty years and currently number around 12,000, challenging the university to keep its resources apace with this exponential rate of growth

Allied to the university are the University College of Lands and Architectural Studies, offering degrees in architecture, building economics, land management and valuation, environmental engineering and urban/regional planning, and Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences (MUCHS).  

MUCHS currently consists of four faculties (Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy) and five Institutes (Allied Health Sciences, Development Studies, Public Health, Primary Health Care, Continuing Health Education and Traditional Medicine), and offers degrees in medicine, dentistry, pharmacology, nursing and environmental health services, among others.

The beneficiary library is the library of MUCHS, where, according to a 2003 study, the physical plant, information resources, and computer equipment have not been maintained properly for years due to lack of funds.  

Country fact file
The population of Tanzania is 36.6m. Per capita income is around $600, with 36% of the population living below the poverty line. Literacy is estimated at 78%.