Some small and medium size enterprises in the country are now using a home accounting software called Minishop, thanks to Tanzanian software engineer, Eric Muta.
At 32, Muta is perhaps one of the youngest and most successful software engineers in the country or presumably in the east African region. Recognizing his tech savvy characteristics and business acumen, Total Tanzania Limited has named Muta as patron for this year’s ‘Total Startupper of the Year competition.
The competition which seeks to recognize, train and put three potential candidates aged between 18 and 35 years, on the taxiing way ready for takeoff, started on November 1, 2015 and ends on January 31, 2016.
“I urge everyone with a good business plan or an already running business project which is not more than two years old, to come forward and take part. My company started by winning awards like this one,” Muta whose company, Problem Solved Limited now employs 21 people and has a foot on the ground in 13 regions of the country, said.
Muta who is founder and chief executive officer of Problem Solved Ltd, started with a simple laptop donated by his father so that he plays video games.
The UK trained software engineer turned the laptop into a money making machine by developing Minishop which went on to win an Apps4Africa award in 2011, thanks to United States government sponsorship.
“With the US$ 15,000 cash award which I won, I left my parents house, rented a small house which was also my office and I bought some office furniture including laptops,” the soft spoken local genius said.
Three years later in 2014, Muta won SME Finance Innovation Challenge Fund Competition organized by Financial Sector Deepening Trust (FSDT). Problem Solved Ltd and Minishop are now known globally because they have changed many people’s lives.
“We want such business plans and projects which are innovative, original, daring and with development potential to improve living conditions of the population,” said Marsha Msuya, head of legal and corporate affairs at Total Tanzania Limited.
She said Muta’s software creation has assisted the country save foreign currency because such a product would have otherwise been imported from somewhere.
“Such initiative which reduce our import bill, should be encourage locally because they also create jobs,” she underlined.
Msuya said during the launch of this year’s competition that 10 finalist candidates will undergo training in entrepreneurial skills from their partners, Tanzania Entrepreneurship and Competitive Centre (TECC).
“The finalist candidates will then be invited to make their presentation before a panel of judges who will choose three winners,” she noted. The overall winner will get 35m/-, second placed candidate will get 25m/- and the third position candidate will receive 10m/- in cash prizes.
The overall winner will have another chance to bring home an even bigger award after competing with peers from 33 other African countries where Total has business presence.
“The grand event will be held in Paris, France but the prize is yet to be unveiled,” Msuya noted. Total is a France based oil and gas company employing 10,000 people in Africa.
“In each of the 34 countries in which the "Startupper of the Year by Total" contest will be held, a jury of businesspeople led by a chairman will be created. It will have at least 10 members, including the CEOs of Total’s affiliates in the country,” the company said in a statement.
The jury will include managers from national and international companies drawn from a wide variety of business sectors (banking, finance, industry, service, etc.), representatives of public and semipublic organizations, officials from institutions, officials from national and international organizations and/or recognized experts and analysts.
TECC’s deputy executive director, Daniel Mghwira said they will impart skills and knowledge in the 10 finalist candidates to enable them make their presentations professionally before the panel of judges.
“We are happy to partner with Total Tanzania in this exercise because it’s our area of expertise and we want to develop young people who can compete globally,” Mghwira said.
He said TECC has been in the business of entrepreneurial training for many years hence partnering with Total to train such budding young business minds is a great honour.
“We want to coach talented young entrepreneurs who will compete globally, this Startupper of the Year Total competition is an important thing for us as a centre,” Mghwira noted while urging youth who meet the competition’s criteria to take part.
Total Tanzania believes that there are many more Eric Mutas out there and hope that they will come out. “As patron, I will make sure that I mobilize everyone with a business plan to dare take part,” said Muta as Total Tanzania Limited acting managing director, Olivier Cursente flagged off the national event in Dar es Salaam on Monday morning.
The competition’s entry forms are found on a website specifically designed for the Pan African contest.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
Some small and medium size enterprises in the country are now using a home accounting software called Minishop, thanks to Tanzanian software engineer, Eric Muta.
At 32, Muta is perhaps one of the youngest and most successful software engineers in the country or presumably in the east African region. Recognizing his tech savvy characteristics and business acumen, Total Tanzania Limited has named Muta as patron for this year’s ‘Total Startupper of the Year competition.
The competition which seeks to recognize, train and put three potential candidates aged between 18 and 35 years, on the taxiing way ready for takeoff, started on November 1, 2015 and ends on January 31, 2016.
“I urge everyone with a good business plan or an already running business project which is not more than two years old, to come forward and take part. My company started by winning awards like this one,” Muta whose company, Problem Solved Limited now employs 21 people and has a foot on the ground in 13 regions of the country, said.
Muta who is founder and chief executive officer of Problem Solved Ltd, started with a simple laptop donated by his father so that he plays video games.
The UK trained software engineer turned the laptop into a money making machine by developing Minishop which went on to win an Apps4Africa award in 2011, thanks to United States government sponsorship.
“With the US$ 15,000 cash award which I won, I left my parents house, rented a small house which was also my office and I bought some office furniture including laptops,” the soft spoken local genius said.
Three years later in 2014, Muta won SME Finance Innovation Challenge Fund Competition organized by Financial Sector Deepening Trust (FSDT). Problem Solved Ltd and Minishop are now known globally because they have changed many people’s lives.
“We want such business plans and projects which are innovative, original, daring and with development potential to improve living conditions of the population,” said Marsha Msuya, head of legal and corporate affairs at Total Tanzania Limited.
She said Muta’s software creation has assisted the country save foreign currency because such a product would have otherwise been imported from somewhere.
“Such initiative which reduce our import bill, should be encourage locally because they also create jobs,” she underlined.
Msuya said during the launch of this year’s competition that 10 finalist candidates will undergo training in entrepreneurial skills from their partners, Tanzania Entrepreneurship and Competitive Centre (TECC).
“The finalist candidates will then be invited to make their presentation before a panel of judges who will choose three winners,” she noted. The overall winner will get 35m/-, second placed candidate will get 25m/- and the third position candidate will receive 10m/- in cash prizes.
The overall winner will have another chance to bring home an even bigger award after competing with peers from 33 other African countries where Total has business presence.
“The grand event will be held in Paris, France but the prize is yet to be unveiled,” Msuya noted. Total is a France based oil and gas company employing 10,000 people in Africa.
“In each of the 34 countries in which the "Startupper of the Year by Total" contest will be held, a jury of businesspeople led by a chairman will be created. It will have at least 10 members, including the CEOs of Total’s affiliates in the country,” the company said in a statement.
The jury will include managers from national and international companies drawn from a wide variety of business sectors (banking, finance, industry, service, etc.), representatives of public and semipublic organizations, officials from institutions, officials from national and international organizations and/or recognized experts and analysts.
TECC’s deputy executive director, Daniel Mghwira said they will impart skills and knowledge in the 10 finalist candidates to enable them make their presentations professionally before the panel of judges.
“We are happy to partner with Total Tanzania in this exercise because it’s our area of expertise and we want to develop young people who can compete globally,” Mghwira said.
He said TECC has been in the business of entrepreneurial training for many years hence partnering with Total to train such budding young business minds is a great honour.
“We want to coach talented young entrepreneurs who will compete globally, this Startupper of the Year Total competition is an important thing for us as a centre,” Mghwira noted while urging youth who meet the competition’s criteria to take part.
Total Tanzania believes that there are many more Eric Mutas out there and hope that they will come out. “As patron, I will make sure that I mobilize everyone with a business plan to dare take part,” said Muta as Total Tanzania Limited acting managing director, Olivier Cursente flagged off the national event in Dar es Salaam on Monday morning.
The competition’s entry forms are found on a website specifically designed for the Pan African contest.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
No comments:
Post a Comment