Moro joins youth business mentorship club

Correspondent, Morogoro

MOROGORO Region has become the fourth Mainland region to undertake a youth entrepreneurial mentorship programme called Kijana Jiajiri after Lindi, Mtwara and Dar es Salaam regions.

Opening the formative-years six-week entrepreneurship training attended by over 400 youths, Morogoro Regional Commissioner, Dr Rajabu Rutengwe, welcomed the programme as timely and commended the supporters of the programme.

The programme aims at developing entrepreneurship among youths in the country targets, those with 18-35 years.

It is implemented by Tanzania Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness Centre (TECC) in collaboration with a United Kingdom’s based Youth Business International (YBI) and the National Economic Empowerment Council (NEEC).

“This commendable scheme has come at the right time”, the RC said, adding that it will help “our young people grasp the stark truth that there are few jobs in the labour market compared with the number of job-seekers annually entering the labour market.”

Jobs in the government and public sector as a whole are even fewer than perceived, Mr Rutengwe reminded, adding that the perception that young people from schools and colleges must of necessity be employed by the government “is simply outdated.”

He called on Morogoro youths to take the training very seriously, saying when the course is over finalists should be able to employ themselves and other people.

The RC said Morogoro municipality was safe and called traders to serve people beyond 6 pm, saying that the practice will give customers more time to access goods and services and traders will earn more than what they are currently earning. NEEC Executive Secretary Beng’i Issa said the programme seeks to make young people value entrepreneurship and selfemployment.

After the training, she said, participants will be attached practising business people for a one-year field attachment. After field attachment trainees will qualify for soft loans guaranteed by the government to run their own businesses. The TECC Managing Director, Mr Sosthenes Sambua, said collectively 260 trainees have been attached to business mentors in Lindi, Mtwara and Dar es Salam regions. He commended Morogoro Municipality for mobilising young people to attend the initial six-week training. One of the participants, Ms Winfrida Kimaro, described the programme as an eye-opener, adding that it reinforces the drive of determined youths towards self-employment.