At the start of 2018/2019 academic year the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) at the University of Dar es Salaam turned 44 years of age since establishment as a multi-disciplinary academic unit. It was the first such institution in the country with the mandate to teach and research development issues nationally, regionally and globally.  The introduction of Development Studies (DS) programme stemmed from the understanding that development process multi-dimensional requiring multi-disciplinary knowledge base in order to appreciate its complexity and dynamism. Thus for the Institute it has been 44 years of sustained pursuit of excellence teaching, research and public service thus contributing to national development endeavours