IPP Executive Chairman Dr Reginald Mengi yesterday awarded 10m/- to Viana Mulokozi a student from Ardhi University in Dar es Salaam after she emerged the February winner of the ‘Nitabuni, Nitatekeleza, Nitafanikiwa’ (3Ns) Twitter competition.
Viana, currently pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Building Economics in Dar es Salaam, submitted a business idea dubbed Centralized Field Training Allocation System (CFTAS) which would assist allocation of various university and college students to institutions for their practical /field works.
“Through the system, all students that will be registered in CFTAS will be helped in securing institutions and organisations to conduct their field work,” she explained.
The CFTAS is already a registered system which plays a key role in coordinating various institutions to offer students placements for their field work.
Speaking at the handover event yesterday in Dar es Salaam, Dr Mengi encouraged other youth not to give up on their dreams but remain determined to achieving them. He also urged people not to treat challenges as failures on the road to success, but use them as motivation to work harder.
“Do not see yourselves as failures…no one was born to be a loser in life… giving up in life is a sin,’” Dr Mengi said reminding the youth and the general public that every great businessperson started from the grass roots.
In a related development, Dr Mengi said Tanzania is rich despite its people being poor and according to him, this is because people do not identify available opportunities and make the most of them.
“People are failing to recognize and address the gap between the rich country and poor people because they do not use their natural resources to benefit themselves,” he said.
He went on to note that one of the ways of addressing such a problem is to have an eye for opportunities.
“If you fail to eye the available opportunities in the country, you will end up being poor. But you have the right to benefit from your country’s resources and achieve a better life,” he urged.
He also took the time to advise the youth not to seek shortcuts to get riches but rather they should use the right and blessed ways that would impress God, he said.
“Becoming rich through corrupt ways and other shortcuts is a curse and such riches will not last for long,” he cautioned.
A judge for the competition Dr Donath Olomi who is the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship Development was impressed by the increase in February’s participation, as the competition attracted 5096 people, three times the participation rate in January.
“This shows that there are a lot of people looking for opportunities,” he said and advised the youth to be creative if they want to succeed in life.
Along with the Viana, ten runners up won 1m/- each for their business ideas. The competition, literally translated as ‘I will Invent, Implement and Succeed’ will see six winners walk away with a 10m/- each for a period of six months – January to June 2015.
Viana Mulikozi, a student from Ardhi University (left) receiving the 10M- cheque from IPP Chairman Dr. R. Mengi.