Govt pledges to expand youth talent development
ARUSHA: THE Government will continue to expand opportunities to nurture and unleash youth talent to enable young people to become economically independent, in line with the implementation of the National Development Vision 2050.
At the same time, the Tanzania Engineering and Manufacturing Design Organisation (TEMDO) is intensifying the manufacture of assistive devices for people with disabilities to enhance mobility and reduce the high costs associated with imported equipment.
Deputy Minister for Industry and Trade, Mr Patrobas Katambi, stated this recently in Arusha during a visit to TEMDO, where he inspected various machines and equipment being designed and manufactured, including medical devices.
Mr Katambi said the youth employment and innovation remain key pillars of the government’s development agenda, noting that Vision 2050 and national development policies provide a framework for identifying young talents and linking them to existing credit and industrial opportunities.
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“The government, through Vision 2050, will continue to identify youth challenges in employment and creativity, and create more opportunities for young people to demonstrate their skills and contribute to productivity across various sectors,” he said.
He explained that the initiative spans several sectors, including industry and agriculture, where youth-led innovation can strengthen value chains through the production of machinery for processing crops and products from marine, dairy and river resources.
The Deputy Minister commended TEMDO for its achievements in producing medical equipment as well as machinery for sugar and edible oil processing, saying such innovations reduce dependence on imports and promote local industrial growth.
“Tanzania now has the capacity to manufacture sugar processing plants and other industrial machinery,” he said. “I urge TEMDO to further prioritise the production of assistive devices for people with disabilities as part of its contribution to national development.”
Mr Katambi noted that assistive devices such as wheelchairs and tricycles are sold at high prices, often exceeding 100,000/-, making them inaccessible to many people with disabilities.
“The availability of affordable assistive devices is crucial in enabling people with disabilities to gain mobility, dignity and economic independence,” he stressed.
TEMDO Director General Prof Frederick Kahimba said the organisation has strengthened its industrial operations and strategic planning to ensure continued growth of the creative and manufacturing sector.
He thanked the government and the Ministry of Industry and Trade for allocating funds in the 2024/2025 budget to support development projects at TEMDO.
“Through this funding, we have been able to design and develop technologies, machinery and equipment that encourage investment in small and medium-sized industries,” Prof Kahimba said.
He added that TEMDO’s innovations have contributed to job creation and skills development while significantly reducing foreign exchange expenditure on imported machinery and equipment now produced locally.
A young welder at TEMDO, Mr Rojas Oscar, thanked the government for creating employment opportunities for talented youth and called for increased funding to strengthen the organisation’s capacity to design technologies that address challenges in agriculture, industry and health.
