3,518 degrees, including 511 PhDs, awarded as Institute strengthens its global footprint through IIT Madras Zanzibar & IITM Global initiatives
CHENNAI, India, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — His Excellency Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, was the Chief Guest at the 63rd Convocation of Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), which is India’s top-ranked Engineering Institute.
A total of 3,518 degrees, including 511 PhDs, were awarded to 3,106 graduates during the ceremony, which also featured the unveiling of the IIT Madras Zanzibar campus layout, India’s first international IIT campus.
The permanent campus is coming up on 200 acres of land allocated to IIT Madras Zanzibar in the Fumba peninsula, being purpose-built as a 22 century facility integrating academics with dedicated places for innovation, sports and startups besides residential facilities for students and Faculty.
Addressing the graduating class, His Excellency Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi said, “You graduate at a defining moment in history. Artificial Intelligence, robotics, biotechnology and quantum technologies are changing the way humanity lives, learns and works. Yet technology alone has never guaranteed progress. Every great innovation presents humanity with a choice. That choice belongs not to technology itself, but to those who create it.”
Highlighting the significance of the India-Zanzibar partnership, His Excellency Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi added, “The establishment of IIT Madras Zanzibar represents far more than an educational milestone. It reflects a shared belief that knowledge should know no borders and that excellence should never be confined by geography.”
Dr. Pawan Goenka, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Madras, said, “The presence of the President of Zanzibar at our Convocation reflects a partnership built on a shared belief that education, innovation and human capital are the foundations of lasting development.”
Presenting the Director’s Report, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said that the Zanzibar Campus currently hosted 130 students from Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zambia and India, while its inaugural M.Tech. batch achieved 100 per cent industrial placements. The Institute also planned to expand enrolment to 350–500 students by 2027.
Prof. V Kamakoti also highlighted the launch of IITM Global Foundation, which is advancing IIT Madras’ vision of becoming the world’s first multinational university.