THE efforts to cultivate self employment among local youth are getting sweeter in Arusha-Rural District, where a group of young people have formed a
special 'factory' to make biscuits.
The Sokoni II Youth Group, operating from Sekei area of Arusha-Rural District, have established a small but relatively effective factory which produces biscuits, among other processed food products, like packaged cashew- nuts and ready-made rice, specifically meant for bachelors who don't have time to cook at home.
"We started out in 2012 but the factory was established this year," the group leader, Mr Praygod Martin said during a special visit from a team of officials from the Ministry of Information, Culture and Sports who were touring Arusha to check how district authorities were addressing the issue of youth unemployment.
Mr Martin said the group has 25 members but since they were just setting out on business, they were being challenged with market penetration because many of their products are competing with those being churned out by other larger, older and more established entities.
Still, the SYG venture was described to be the most ambitious youth project in the region, according to the team from the ministry comprising of Ms Amina Sanga, the youth development officer, Ms Esther Riwa, the head of legal affairs and training department and Laurian Maselle who is the director of Sasanda Youth Development in Mbeya Region.
They said that biscuit making was always regarded as an undertaking that can only be done by larger factories with widespread outlets, but the Sekei youth have shown the way by attempting the impossible.
The team also visited the Malihai club at Leganga section of Usa-River in Meru District; the group undertakes environment conservation and cleaning-up activities and the youth shoe-making enterprise known as 'Old-is-Gold Arts Group,' which produces traditional shoes and sandals.
Previously, the ministry delegation held audience with the Regional Administrative Secretary (RAS), Mr Adoh Stephen Mapunda, where they expressed concern over the fact that out of the seven district councils making up Arusha Region, it is only two; Meru and Longido that have so far established the Youth Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies in line with central government directives.
"The youth are usually quick to complain that the government has neglected them, but in reality, the state is ready to inject capital to all young people in the country, as long as they are prepared to form groups and join district SACCOS," said Ms Amina Sanga, the Youth Development Officer from the Ministry.
Mr Mapunda further said that the reason why other councils have failed to establish Youth SACCOS was because many either did not know how to go about it or were skeptic about making own contributions.
"Conditions are that the youth should form themselves into groups of 22 or more to form the SACCOS, then contribute 5m/- between them for starters, onto which the state will then start to channel in more cash to boost their various projects," said Mr Mapunda.
The RAS said the reason why many youth are still idle with some engaged with street demos and other unruly behaviour was because they are not interested to form groups for development purpose, despite the government's readiness to support whichever cause of their choice.
The delegation later went to Arusha-Rural (DC) where they trained over 100 youth on how to come up with groups and join District SACCOS for the youth towards establishing ventures for development.
Mr Massanja Pius is one of the young people who attended the training and he says limited education, political interference and lack of solidarity were the main causes leading to failure in establishing SACCOS among local youth in Arusha.
source: tanzania dailynew
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