HARD working, determination and creativity stands among basic prerequisites to venture and compete highly in today’s business and marketing environment.
The Dodoma-based state-owned Institute for Rural Development and Planning (IRDP) is working on a vibrant bid to train its students to turn social-economic challenges into useful business opportunities through critical thinking and innovations.
Sudi Rashid is one among many youths groomed at the well- established program on entrepreneurship and skills development at the college.
Through the key program, being rolled out by the Mipango Entrepreneurship and Innovation Centre (MEI), the tailor-made centre for imparting the youth with the vital skills, Rashid has succeeded to translate his business idea onto reality.
The determined upcoming entrepreneur has invented a special digital gas alert system for helping the gas consumers to be aware over the remaining volume of gas in their cylinders.
“The idea to create the system started one night when I was still a student at the college. I was about to cook for myself after a long studying day, but when I switch on my gas cylinder it was out of gas, something which forced me to sleep on empty stomach, ” Rashid narrated.
He added, the situation provoked him to think critically, asking himself: “If the airtime in my phone is due to end, the system is automatically alert me to refill the voucher, why there’s no such system for gas cylinders?
The question, according to him, triggered him to embark on a long journey of sleepless nights to develop the digital system for automatic measuring and alerting the users over use and volume of gas in the cylinders through the mobile phone message (SMS).
Though passing through ‘thunder and heavy rains’ today Rashid has something to proud about as he has so far managed to develop the system and he’ s looking forward to introduced the product into the market.
The product has already been registered at the Copyright Society of Tanzania (COSOTA) as well as blessed by Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH).
Rashid is now the Managing Director of his own company, dubbed ‘Suditech Company Ltd’ and he’s currently working overnight to multiply production of the gas alert devices in readiness to introduce the useful product into the market.
“Currently, I am working on some pending issues in readiness to venture into the market, and I am still pondering either to apply Business to Customers (BC), or Business to Business (BB) approach,” he told this publication during an interview.
Thanks to Mipango Entrepreneurship and Innovation Centre (MEI) that has groomed Rashid to achieve his dream come true.
“I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to the trainers at the MEI center for their time-heart mentorship in assisting me to reach at this successful stage, as well as the entire college,” he expressed.
Rashid, who’s still operating under the shadow of the college, also thanked COSTECH for injecting him with a total of 40m/- for heighten and qualifying his product.
Professor Canute Hyandye, the founder of the MEI Centre, expressed that at the Centre, the students are imparted with the diverse practical-based entrepreneurship skills, irrespective of their affiliated degree, diploma and certificates courses, with an eye to enable them stand on a better side to employ themselves after graduating.
“At the centre, we’re assisting the involved students to think critically in order to put their business ideas into useful products, and this is done through three vital stages of idealisation, experimentation and commercialisation,” thr Don observed.
He added, the center also works to assist the students to get intellectual property for their innovations, product’s certifications at the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS), as well as to register their products at the Business Registrations and Licensing Agency (BRELA), and have trade Identification number.
“Apart from others, we’re also working in sync with the Small Industries Development Organisation (SIDO) to assist the students to acquire vital knowledge on designing of products labels, packaging, together with linking them to markets,” he said.
On his part, the Institute’s Deputy Rector, Academics, Research and Consultancy, Prof. Provident Dimoso expressed that since its inception the initiative, the center has so far played ley role to assist the graduated students to escape from the shackles of unemployment.
“Most of the graduated students, and those who are still benefiting at the centre have produced various items, including culinary products and thus, they are currently raising income on their own shadows, as some have provided employment to other youths,” he detailed.
While Tanzania is witnessing mushrooming in the number of universities, it is the grim revelation that the country’s employment market has no enough room to accommodate millions of the youth who are graduating annually from different ‘ white-color- oriented ‘ professions.
In order to address the situation, the government is working to set up a viable system to ensure students from various education levels on the country are trained on entrepreneurships and skills development.
According to some key academicians, about 80 percent of occupations available in the country, including occupations that will be in demand in the next three to five years, are based on science and mathematics-related subjects, while relevant pass rates in secondary schools on the country are unimpressive.
