IITA Tanzania management team was privileged to host the national Uhuru torch for the first time on 27 May at its Youth Incubation Center in Kwembe, Dar es Salaam.
The Uhuru torch is a national symbol in Tanzania depicting freedom, equality, integrity, respect for human dignity, peace, hope, and strengthening union between mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar. The lighting of the Uhuru torch was made on National Independence Day on 9 December 1961 by the first president Mwl Julius Nyerere and later taken to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro as a symbol of national illumination. The Uhuru torch aimed to enlighten and awaken the sense of nationalism, to illuminate the nation by saying “no” to poverty, inequality, illiteracy, diseases, ethnicity, and racialism. Since then, the torch has been carried through the country every year from March to October, passing through all districts to enhance development activities. To underscore its importance, the government budgets the cost for the nationwide run under the president’s office, which also appoints the torch-running team and its leaders.
The Uhuru torch rally leading official, Abdalla Shaibu Kaimu, was happy after witnessing the efforts undertaken by IITA in nurturing and empowering youths, particularly in imparting them with knowledge and skills on agribusiness.
“The Uhuru Torch Race has visited this project, and we sincerely acknowledge the remarkable work accomplished by IITA. We are deeply grateful for their efforts in fostering the development of youths by equipping them with diverse skills, including understanding the importance of improved seeds and other agricultural aspects that enhance their agribusiness activities. Uhuru torch commends you for your outstanding contributions to this endeavor,” Kaimu noted.
On behalf of IITA management, IITA Youth Coordinator Veronica Kebwe noted that the Institute commenced the youth program to empower youth aged 18-35 to participate actively in agribusiness. Through the program, youth receive comprehensive training on various opportunities within agriculture value chains, including production, processing, and marketing, to address the unemployment challenges facing many youths globally.
“This program is significant within IITA and is designed to engage postgraduate students and youths with limited educational backgrounds. Our core activities involve providing theoretical and practical training to youth in value chains of cassava, maize, sorghum, poultry, fish, and vegetable farming,” Kebwe noted.
“Additionally, we empower youth by allocating areas within our center for their agribusiness pursuits. We also link them with financial institutions through the district council to get loans,” Kebwe added.
Baraka Nicholous, a beneficiary from the IITA Kwembe Center, engaged in worm production, requested the government’s continued support to enable the Institute to succeed in the youth empowerment initiatives.
“Thanks to the training and support provided by IITA, we have made significant progress. Currently, we can produce poultry feed and have established a good link with our customers, but we also managed to provide education to the community. This visit from the Uhuru torch rally brings enormous significance, providing us with a valuable opportunity to promote our center and attract more youth,” Nicholous noted.
Chairperson of the Iloyi Youth Group, Leonia Sahani, noted that their group received entrepreneurship training from IITA in 2021, enabling them to create jobs.
“Previously, we had been producing bread and biscuits using wheat flour. However, our encounter with IITA opened up new possibilities as we acquired knowledge and skills in utilizing cassava flour for value addition. We successfully produce various types of cakes, including small cakes, wedding cakes, and birthday cakes, using cassava flour as an ingredient. This has made our products different, earning us more income,” Sahani noted.
Contributed by Hadi Rashidi
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