[4][5] It is a private university sponsored by the Darul Iman Charitable Association, an Islamic religious organization in Ontario, Canada.
The university is situated in Tunguu area, in the Central District, some 12 miles (19 km) from Zanzibar Town.
The university campus, with a total area of 170 acres (0.69 km2), is located among quiet countryside surroundings overlooking the Indian Ocean.
[6] In 1994 Aboud Jumbe Mwinyi, a former President of Zanzibar, persuaded The Darul Iman Charitable Association (NGO) representatives, who were stationed in Dar es Salaam, to build a technical college in Zanzibar.
The Zanzibar University was planned to begin modestly with the Faculty of Business Administration.