Former President of Tanzania, Dr Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, has congratulated Tanzanian PhD student Ngasuma Eva Kanyeka for winning the prestigious Tessa Jowell Foundation Award at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. 

Dr Kikwete, who is serving as one of the faculty speakers at the Harvard Ministerial Leadership Programme (HMLP), praised Kanyeka for bringing honour to Tanzania through her outstanding academic achievement. 

The highly competitive annual award recognises a Harvard PhD student whose research makes a meaningful contribution to the development of low and middle-income countries.

Kanyeka earned the distinction for her innovative research, which applies Artificial Intelligence to improve credit assessment models, helping women and young people gain better access to affordable finance, increase household incomes and improve family wellbeing. 

Dr Kikwete described her achievement as a source of national pride and commended her for raising Tanzania’s profile on the global academic stage.