By Francis Kajubi , The Guardian
THE Information and Communication Technologies Commission (ICTC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) pegged at 8bn/- with the Small Industries Development Organization (SIDO) for establishing regional innovation incubation hubs.
Dr. Nkundwe Mwasaga, the ICTC director general, told journalists at the MoU signing event in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the national digital innovation acceleration programme involves extending funds to SIDO to develop the hubs.
The hubs under ICTC custody will enable the youth to acquire skills needed in setting up start-up companies.
The programme comes when Tanzania is doing all it can in ensuring that it brings up competitive young people for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) market, he said.
Six digital innovation hubs and two equipment innovation hubs will be set up first in six regions until it covers the whole country in phases, he explained, noting that the digital hubs will be put up in Mwanza, Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Mbeya and Lindi.
However, the two digital equipment innovation hubs shall be set up in Arusha and Dar es Salaam, he said, pointing out that youths form upwards of 21m out of the 61.7m total population by August 2022.
They need to fully engage in regional and continental digital economy opportunities, he said, underlining that the goal is to facilitate start-ups in mining, tourism, commerce, agriculture and transportation, among others.
‘This is a strategic partnership bearing in mind that SIDO is the oldest small industries incubator in the country,’ he said, setting out the mission as building a digital economy ecosystem exploring opportunities in the domestic market plus the regional and continent levels.
Innovation centers will be specified places where youths incubate innovative ideas to use in developing start-ups, which the government believes will have multiplier effects to the economy.
Their key impact is in creating decent jobs for the youth, potentially doubling the current two percent contribution of ICT to the country’s GDP, he stated.
Prof Sylvester Mpanduji, the SIDO director general, said that innovation hubs will be centers of excellence in grooming innovators of solutions-led applications.
The two digital equipment innovation hubs will be used for maintenance of learning equipment for all hubs, he specified, affirming that enrolment will take into consideration youth attaining different levels of education.
They will be graduating from a one year technical and practical training programme enabling them to develop innovative solutions-led applications, he stated.
Those applications will be filed to SIDO regional offices, also accepting youth innovations from colleges and universities in those regions, he added
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