The drivers, trained on outdated manual trucks back in Tanzania, reportedly froze upon encountering the highly automated Volvo trucks in Qatar.
These advanced vehicles, equipped with digital control panels and GPS-guided navigation systems, proved too complex for the drivers to handle.
Tanzania’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, explained that the drivers were overwhelmed by the level of digital integration in the truck cabins.
“The drivers had never seen such advanced technology before. The digital control panels resembled something out of an aircraft, and many were unable to input directions using the touchscreen interfaces,” the Minister revealed at a press briefing.
Despite their successful completion of training at the National Institute of Transport (NIT) in Dar es Salaam, along with supplementary refresher courses, the drivers lacked the digital literacy needed to meet Qatar’s standards.
Government plans to acquire modern trucks for training
In light of the incident, Minister Kombo announced plans to procure a prototype truck from Qatar for training purposes at NIT.
“We are considering the acquisition of a modern truck model to enhance training and ensure our drivers are prepared for international standards,” he added.
Qatar had opened more than 800 truck driving vacancies, with over 300 specifically allocated for Tanzanian candidates. However, the disappointing performance of the first batch of recruits has cast a shadow over these opportunities.
Ambassador Habibu Awesi Mohamed, Tanzania’s envoy to Qatar, and Khalid Al Rahiya, Employment Relations Manager at Qatari transport firm Mowasalat – Karwa, had been coordinating efforts to secure these roles for Tanzanian nationals.
The two parties met in March 2025 to discuss the recruitment of up to 350 drivers from Tanzania. Plans were in place to conduct driving tests—both oral and practical—either in Tanzania or upon arrival in Doha. A roadmap had been established, involving coordination between Tanzanian recruitment agencies and their Qatari counterparts.
Concerns over education and digital competence
The failure of the Tanzanian drivers has sparked broader concerns about the nation’s preparedness for a digitised and AI-driven global labour market.
Although Tanzania’s government and private stakeholders had expressed strong commitment to bilateral cooperation with Qatar—including job creation, skills exchange, and investment—the debacle has prompted calls for a revamp of technical and vocational training programmes.
“This situation should be a wake-up call. We must modernise our curricula and equip our workforce with the digital skills required in today’s job market,” a senior education analyst commented.
The Qatari team is still expected to visit Tanzania for future recruitment, but the government now faces the urgent task of ensuring that its workers are adequately trained to meet international technological standards.
