KwaWote Inc.

By Bihemo K

To begin I will quote two paragraphs from my first post on Vijana FM.

Everyday I read stories about the economic growth of China. I read about Germany’s solutions, clean energy in particular, aimed at solving global challenges. I read about a student in a Tanzanian village who uses an oil lamp with a small floating wick, and that 60% of African population is living without electricity. I read that while two out of five of Africans lack good, and clean water supplies and Africa’s economy is greatly reliant on international aid, African population will double by 2030. Some challenges are old. Some are new.

I ask myself many questions. Some are: For countries to reach or maintain global leadership, should they focus on global solutions because global solutions are always also local while local solutions can not always be global? If the correct answer is yes, then, is it the likeliest situation that an African country will never become a super power?

We are living at a time when all agents of development, across all age-ranges and professions, must work together to solve our challenges. Since life is only a choice that must have a purpose to be lived well; for Tanzania I am proposing KwaWote Inc. KwaWote Inc. will address the many challenges that Tanzania faces, and with each challenge we will initiate its own entreprise: Nishati KwaWote, Elimu KwaWote, Maji KwaWote, Tarakilishi KwaWote, Mkopo KwaWote, Kilimo KwaWote. KwaWote would be a group of these and other similar small social businesses.

Concept Definition and Rationale

Entrepreneurship is the art to risk taking, to venture into something new of any scale from a few US dollars to millions of dollars. The KwaWote idea is founded on the belief that Tanzania will be developed by Tanzanians themselves by their bold search of solutions to their problems from their own perspective.

However, in exercising our minds we must try as much as possible to grapple with issues that are relevant to and from our perspective. For otherwise we will be letting others think for us concerning our problems and the solutions to them.” Benjamin W. Mkapa addressing the University of Dodoma, November 2, 2007.

KwaWote’s flagship entreprise will be the one for providing solar energy – Nishati KwaWote – to needy Tanzanians at a price affordable to them. Nishati KwaWote would work in places where production is possible, in regions close to rivers, lakes or oceans, so that the locals could use the energy, for example, to water their rice, vegetable, or cotton farms. In parallel they would be provided with agricultural specialists so that their farming practices are done more scientifically.

KwaWote would be aware that the level of affordability of it’s technologies would vary among its prospective clients. That is why there would be Mkopo KwaWote, aimed to provide clients with affordable, low interest micro-credit. These loans will be offered at a relatively longer period of time and emphasizing on the sustainable use of the funds, in a systematic way carefully designed to enable client repayment without overwhelming them. Clients will be responsible for what they earn contrary to the conventional philanthrophy and charity.

KwaWote would then move on to provide education for all – Elimu KwaWote. In this initiative clients would be assisted to send their children to any affordable school locally, and any university in the world to obtain the best education available. Again this would go in parallel with Mkopo KwaWote.

Spin-off projects

In parallel, and after maturity of the business, KwaWote will venture into even more ambitious projects, as described below.

KwaWote Inc. will found universities and revamp the old higher education insitutions in Tanzania so that they become more technology oriented and focusing on engineering, informatics, health and applied social sciences. Research labs for both basic and applied research will be started and those in place supported so as to employ graduates from our universities. We will also aim to support undergraduate students by providing them grants for essential research-work during vacations or as part of their thesis. The main goal would be to prepare Tanzania to become a nation of innovators. This would go by the name Utafiti KwaWote.

People need a future, the future needs research. People need health, security, communication, energy and mobility. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft motto.

To ensure that computers are made available to everyone, at a more affordable price, KwaWote Inc. will venture to invent Computer Operating Systems and applications available in Swahili. This would go by the name Teknolojia KwaKiswahili KwaWote. I see this work by starting research labs for the advancement of the Swahili language for computing, the lab among other things will translate the current technology into Swahili so that the majority of Tanzanians who are not fluent in English can participate in the technology boom of the 21st century. If necessary KwaWote will debate with the government to subsidize the costs.

Depending on need and necessity, KwaWote would always expand its reach. Initially KwaWote Inc. will operate in places where production is possible in places such as those that are rich in rainfalls, attractive to touristic activities and mining sites to enable local social entrepreneurs maximize the resources available to them to advance their lives. The focus would be to assist any individual who demonstrates a desire to change their lives. That is why for example Mkopo KwaWote would offer loans to as low as 5 dollars.

I understand that the timely and efficient provision of services is the most challenging in places not covered by national highways. KwaWote Inc. will research on the use of current technologies to overcome this barrier – for example, the widespread use of mobile phones. The use of gyrocopters or helicopters and all-terrain vehicles would be applied to assist in our activities.

As long as one demonstrates a desire to make a difference, KwaWote will be there to offer support and assistance in financing and consultation. In the short run, Nishati KwaWote and Mkopo KwaWote will be the priority. Learning from the successes of these two projects, the incorporation would expand so as to fulfil its more ambitous goals.