Tanzanian entrepreneurs calls for knowledge intensification

Some executives from companies engaged in micro business activities in the country have called upon the government to intensify education with a view to create awareness among young Tanzanians into building their knowledge capacity on entrepreneurship skills. They made the plea last week in Dar es Salaam at a seminar organized by the Swedish Embassy Office in Dar es Salaam citing poor knowledge is still a stumbling block to the development of entrepreneurs. A 90 minute seminar was attended by Swedish Minister for Trade Eva Bjorling and Her Royal Highness crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, the two are in the country for an official tour since Wednesday this week. The seminar among other things addressed various ways on how young entrepreneurs can do for the development of the country whereby participants discussed various challenges faced by young entrepreneurs in the country and ways on how to overcome them. Emelda Mwamanga of Relim Entertainment Ltd said that, entrepreneurs needs inspiration as employment rate is verey low in the country, hence there is a need to take a giant growth for them as they are mostly engaged their activities in petty trading. Lawrence Ambokile who is an Assistant Program Coordinator for Youth entrepreneurship and capacity building at Restless Development Ltd, noted that, lack of enough capital is a major impediment for the sector development. However, he said that, most entrepreneurs lack knowledge an aspect that most of them do not know how to create business ideas and plans and finally work for them. He is on the view of the fact that, most entrepreneurs fails to organize their proper activities simply because of poor knowledge skills which they have, a factor that has exacerbated poor development as the idea of approaching business needs critical thinking. Masoud Salim Mohammed of the Zanzibar Association of Youth Education and Empowerment (ZAYEE), has criticized government’s stand into empowering entrepreneurs in the country as most of them lack capital to run their businesses. However, he noted that, most entrepreneurs needs help as most of them do not have enough knowledge to run their activities efficiently and in effective manner. Mohammed is on the view of the fact that, there is a great need to educate entrepreneurs at all cost in order to make them understand elements of trading and other activities for lack of knowledge is an aspect which lags them behind.  He said, having capital is not a problem but how to manage the enterprises is what is likely needed, added that, educatiuoin on entrepreneurship skills is of the most important. Amabilis Batamula who is a media professional and the director of Femina Hipp magazine expressed her views and noted that, exposure is very important to make entrepreneurs change their mindset into thinking bigger issues than where they are. Batamula is of the view that, mentorship for the whole entrepreneurship development programs is of the great importance to build capacity knowledge of the entrepreneurs in the country. On his part, the Chief Executive Officer in the President’s Office delivery bureau who represented the government in the seminar, admitted with the existing problems facing the entrepreneurs in the country and noted that, the issue needs more administrative structure to get a solution. He said that, the government needs to come up with new educational curriculum and see how this can help solve the problem of entrepreneurs in the country. He has however, urged the sector to make as many ideas as they can in order to get more equity for the business. He is of the view of the fact that, many entrepreneurs borrow more money approximately 100 percent for working capital, saying that is not good.