UDSM Dominates National ‘Foleni Challenge’ as Engineering Student Wins Top Prize
By Special Correspondent, Dodoma
The University of Dar es Salaam has reaffirmed its growing reputation as a hub of innovation and engineering excellence after dominating the national “Foleni Challenge” competition launched by the Minister for Works, Hon. Abdallah Ulega (MP), with seven students emerging among the top 10 winners — including the overall champion.
UDSM engineering student Tukay Thomas emerged as the overall winner of the challenge, which sought innovative solutions to address traffic congestion in Tanzania’s urban centres. For his outstanding proposal, Tukay received a cash prize of TZS 10 million, a trophy, a laptop, and additional support pledges during an award ceremony held in Dodoma.
The “Foleni Challenge” was established as a national innovation competition targeting engineering students from universities across the country, with the aim of harnessing youth creativity and technical knowledge to solve one of Tanzania’s most pressing urban transport challenges.
Speaking during the award presentation ceremony, Minister Ulega said the government deliberately involved young people in finding solutions to transport and infrastructure challenges in order to encourage practical application of classroom knowledge while strengthening youth participation in national development.
“Tanzania has enough experts in the infrastructure sector, as demonstrated by the implementation of strategic projects such as the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project, and major road construction projects across the country,” said Ulega.
“We involved young people not because we lack professionals, but because we believe they have a major role to play in building their nation. We need their ideas, innovation, and energy to be part of Tanzania’s development,” he added.
The Minister further encouraged youth to remain patriotic and confident in Tanzania’s development journey while ignoring critics of the government’s achievements. He stressed the importance of nurturing a generation that is visionary, innovative, and actively engaged in driving sustainable national progress.
Ulega also urged participants to establish their own companies and pledged that the Ministry, through its institutions, would support them in the registration process so they could transform their expertise into economic opportunities while contributing to national development.
561 Innovative Submissions
Earlier, Chairperson of the Judges’ Panel, Arch. Dr. Daniel Matondo, revealed that the competition received 561 innovative submissions, including 328 from students and 233 anonymous entries. The submissions came from 38 local universities and four international institutions.
Out of all submissions, 176 met the required criteria and advanced to detailed evaluation stages.
According to Dr. Matondo, the proposals demonstrated that traffic congestion can be addressed through multiple integrated approaches rather than relying on a single solution. The 19 top proposals focused on key transport and urban planning interventions, including improvement of road infrastructure, expansion of public transport systems, and application of technology in traffic management.
Other recommendations included completion of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network, construction of flyovers, separation of roads in highly congested areas, expansion of non-motorised transport infrastructure, relocation of some services away from central business districts, construction of expressways, expansion of road lanes in congestion hotspots, regulation of heavy vehicles in cities, and improvement of cargo transportation systems.
On behalf of participating students, Mbeya University of Science and Technology (MUST) student leader Yohana Lucas thanked President Samia Suluhu Hassan for recognising the important role of youth in national development and for supporting platforms that empower young people to contribute innovative ideas toward solving societal challenges.
In the final results, the second position was won by a group of five students from University of Dodoma who received TZS 5 million, while Godson Jackson from Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology secured third place and walked away with TZS 3 million.
The fourth-place winner received TZS 2 million, while winners placed fifth to seventh each received TZS 1 million. Those placed eighth to tenth were awarded TZS 500,000 each, alongside laptops, certificates, and shields. Participants ranked 11th to 21st also received laptops and certificates of participation.
A reflection of UDSM commitment to academic excellence, innovation and practical training
Commenting on the achievement, UDSM Deputy Vice Chancellor – Planning, Finance and Administration, Prof. Bernadeta Killian, congratulated the university’s students for their outstanding performance, describing the results as a reflection of UDSM’s commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and practical training.
“We are proud of our students for this remarkable achievement. Having seven students among the top 10 winners, including the overall winner, demonstrates the quality and relevance of the curriculum offered at UDSM as well as the strength of our academic-industry linkages,” said Prof. Killian.
She added that the university has continued to strengthen partnerships with government institutions and industry players to ensure students acquire practical knowledge and innovative problem-solving skills capable of addressing real societal and national development challenges.
UDSM’s remarkable performance in the competition — securing seven positions among the top 10 winners, including the overall title — further highlights the university’s growing impact in producing innovative engineers capable of contributing practical solutions to national development priorities.