Reginald Abraham Mengi
IPP Media Executive Chairman, Reginald Mengi issued the advice at a brief ceremony to hand over prizes to winners of the business ideas competition via Twitter, themed 3Ns (Nitabuni, Nitatekeleza, Nitafanikiwa) which is a literal translation for ?I will Invent, Implement and Succeed,? held in Dar es Salaam.
He said that youth should not despair as they are expected to become best investors in future, as there is a wide gap between the rich and poor in the country and one of the ways to reduce it is through fair and optimal utilisation of local resources.
He noted that Tanzania is blessed with a number of natural resources and other opportunities which if effectively utilised can be a solution towards poverty and dependency in the country.
?Parade yourself as the winner and this will be possible if you shall demonstrate self confidence in everything that you are intending to do, as I want our young people to know that they can start small and grow as big as any multinational company that they can think of,? he added.
He said that the competition was aimed at encouraging youth over the country to have eyes that see business opportunities, which are available in their surroundings and once utilized can benefit the whole society.
?I have been steadfast in encouraging an entrepreneurial spirit among Tanzanians especially the youth, as my focus is to see the growth of our economy to the extent of producing more millionaires with ethical businesses,? he said.
The winner of the competition is Buhari Kibonanyoro from Kigoma who developed online accounting software called StraightBook that targets over three million small scale businesspeople to manage their business.
Mr Kibonanyoro was awarded 10m/- while nine others, Salim Said, Harry Bilgeya, Abdallah Mdira, Victor Byemelwa, Norman Jonas, Atumulikye Sima, Stephen Massawe, Irene Enock and Joyce Tano received 1m/- each.
Earlier, the 3Ns? Chief judge, Dr Donath Ulomi, said the competition attracted 9,437 business ideas in which 30 candidates were shortlisted and resulted in the top ten.
He encouraged youth all over the country to participate in the competition as a potential means to liberate themselves from hardships.
By DEOGRATIUS KAMAGI, Tanzania Daily News
