Professor John S. Nkoma is currently the Chairman of the Universal Communications Services Access Fund (UCSAF) since July 2021. The main objective of UCSAF is to ensure the availability of communication services in rural and urban under-served areas. He is also currently teaching part time at the College of Information and Communication Technologies (CoICT) of the University of Dar es Salaam, since 2015. Prior to that he was the Director General of the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) for eleven years, during 2004 to 2015, where as CEO, he was charged with the co-ordination of activities of the Authority including the regulation of telecommunications, broadcasting, postal services; management of the radio frequency spectrum; management of electronic and other Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs).

After obtaining his BSc degree in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Prof. Nkoma obtained his MSc and PhD degrees in Physics from the University of Essex, UK. Prof. Nkoma has over 30 years’ experience in University teaching, Research and Development, and Senior Management. He was a member of the physics department at the University of Dar es Salaam from 1971 to 1981, where he also served as Head of Department from 1979 to 1981. Thereafter, he joined the University of Botswana, where during 1993 to 1997 he served as Dean of Faculty of Science and was promoted to full Professor of Physics in 1997. He left the University of Botswana to join TCRA where he served for 11 years, 2004 to 2015.

Prof. Nkoma is a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS), has been Senior Associate, International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Italy. For many years he has been the Representative for Africa in the Reference Group, International Programme in the Physical Sciences (IPPS), University of Uppsala, Sweden. He has conducted several consultancies in Science and Technology for developing countries. He has served as External Examiner to several Universities: University of Dar es Salaam, National University of Lesotho, University of Malawi, University of Swaziland, University of Zimbabwe, University of Namibia. In connection with research, Prof. Nkoma's fields of research interests include the study of the interaction of electromagnetic waves with materials (metals, semiconductors and insulators), and the role of science and technology such as ICTs on development. He is the author of over 70 research articles in international journals. His publications include three books suitable for University students: 1. P K Jain and J S Nkoma, Introduction to Classical Mechanics: Kinematics, Newtonian and Lagrangian, Second Edition, Mkuki na Nyota Publishers, Dar es Salaam ISBN 978-9987-08-370-1 (2019); 2. J S Nkoma and P K Jain, Introduction to Optics: Geometrical, Physical and Quantum, Second Edition, Mkuki na Nyota Publishers, Dar es Salaam ISBN 978-9987-08-371-8 (2019); 3. J S Nkoma, Introduction to Basic Concepts for Engineers and Scientists: Electromagnetic, Quantum, Statistical and Relativistic Concepts, Mkuki na Nyota Publishers, Dar es Salaam ISBN 978-9987-08-328-2 (2018).