IFM’S HIGHER INSURANCE COURSES START TODAY

In Summary 
The move is aimed at stimulating the contribution of the insurance sector to the country’s socio-economic growth and development.  

Dar es Salaam. The Institute of Finance Management (IFM) is today scheduled to start offering insurance training at the master’s and bachelor’s degrees levels.

The move is aimed at stimulating the contribution of the insurance sector to the country’s socio-economic growth and development.

The Institute’s Faculty Dean of Insurance and Social Protection, Dr Kadida Mashaushi, told reporters in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the programmes would play a pivotal role in the insurance sector and its allied sectors.

According to the Dean, the programmes are Master of Science in Social Protection Policy and Development (MSPD), Master of Insurance and Actuarial Science (MIA) and Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Sciences.

“It is our hope that those to be admitted to these programmes will play a meaningful role in the sector whose contributions to the national income stands to triple in coming years,” he said.

Dr Mashaushi said the chief guest to the event will be the deputy minister for Finance and Planning, Dr Ashantu Kijaji.

“There will be three presentations by the commissioner for Insurance, Dr Baghayo Saqware, on insurance industry progress and challenges; the director general of Social Security Regulatory Authority (SSRA), Ms Irene Isaka, on social protection industry progress and challenges; and, Dr Quarles van Ufford from Unicef Tanzania who would speak on the role of research in the expansion of social protection.

He said since the institute was established to nurture the insurance and banking sub-sectors, it has continued to introduce courses to match with the ever changing needs of society.

According to him, there is a big demand for experts and workers of various cadres in the two sectors.

Recently, the Institute’s Principal, Prof Tadeo Satta, said when IFM was established, it started with just two courses and 75 students.

Now, he said, it offers over 30 courses with 10,000 students while the number of applicants is going up annually.

Prof Satta said the institute’s premises in the City Centre was limited in terms of land size, even as its expansion drive wants to see it admitting up to 20,000 students by 2021.

New campuses will be established in Mwanza, Dodoma and Coast Regions.

Already land has been secured in Msata, Bagamoyo District for a new campus in the Coast Region.

Former students have pledged cooperation.

The don said the institute collaborates with a number of foreign tertiary institutions, explaining that such alliances help Tanzanians to get world-class education locally and at very reasonable cost.

The institute is planning MSC and PhD programmes for courses offered.

Dodoma campus will be built as part of the national scheme to establish institutions in the new capital.

He explained that some workers have already moved to Dodoma.