TIGO, DAR FIRM PARTNER IN SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

A partnership has been launched between Tigo Tanzania and the Dar Teknohama Business Incubator (DTBi) which will see the telecom company support a programme aimed at promoting local talents and employment in the country through ICT.

Speaking during the launch of the partnership which was held at Commission of Science and Technology headquarters in Dar es Salaam, Tigo Tanzania General Manager Mr Diego Gutierrez said the partnership with DTBi will give upcoming Tanzanian scientists an opportunity to learn and develop their talents with the view of promoting technology-based businesses that would provide digital solutions to the society.

“ICT currently contributes around 2.3 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the country; Tigo is therefore determined to lift the benchmark to a higher level through the investment of people.

“This is why through the Dar Teknohama Business Incubator (DTBi) Tigo intends to provide 10 Master’s degree scholarships per year, an internship programme and employment opportunities for those interested in ICT studies,” Mr Gutierrez said.

Mr Gutierrez said that this is in line with 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Tanzania ICT Policy of 2013 towards creating knowledge based society and reducing digital divide in Tanzania and therefore very glad that they can offer the government all our support.

The event was witnessed by Minister for Science, Communications and Technology Prof Makame Mbarawa who commended Tigo and DTBi for the partnership.

“The government is proud to support such an initiative that I believe will go a long way towards ensuring young people and tech-entrepreneurs get the knowledge and support for their innovations to get scaled up and compete in tomorrow’s integrated marketplace,” the minister said.

Prof Mbarawa said that he believes that this partnership will not only provide the youth with an opportunity to showcase their talents and earn a decent living but will lead to continued diversification of economic activities that the country needs for speedy socio-economic growth.

“I would like to commend Tigo, DTBi and COSTECH for this joint initiative that will also facilitate technology transfer and create a strong brand of business value oriented youth,” Prof Mbarawa said.

The Chief Executive Officer of DTBi Engineer George Mulamula said the partnership provides new opportunities for the incubates to showcase their talents both locally and internationally.

“DTBi’s aim is to create a culture of technoentrepreneurship and creation of value added new jobs and a more balanced innovation ecosystem. Over the course of its existence, DTBi has realized that most of its incubates lack exposure to formal working environment and professional business ethics to facilitate their entrepreneurship dreams.

We are therefore very confident that Tigo will contribute in filling this gap,” Eng. Mulamula said. “Furthermore”, he commented, “Tigo is providing a valuable pipeline that is unique, allowing our techentrepreneurs to fulfill their dreams of solving community problems and at the same time.”

COSTECH Director General Dr Hassan Mshinda on the other hand said the partnership with Tigo and DBTi is in line with the commission’s mission to foster knowledge based economy through promotion, coordination of research, technology development and innovation for sustainable development in Tanzania.

He said that through such digital partnerships that they can work with the private sector in order to bring socio-economic growth of Tanzania leveraging ICT and support its adoption among stakeholders in the country as a whole.

“It is also a way of showcasing empirical evidence that creative innovations through science & technology lead to commercialization that have a positive impact on the economy and job creation,” he said.