TUM has partnered with the ICT Authority in a program aimed at helping the youth turn their innovative ideas into real commercial ventures.
The ICT Authority personnel visited TUM on Thursday November 30, 2023, to launch the program dubbed Huduma Whitebox Program.
It is an initiative of the Government through the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Digital Economy, in partnership with Peace Alive Limited, the implementation partner.
Mr Kevin Hatibu, Deputy Director, Innovation and Incubation at ICTA, who led the delegation says the program aims to equip the youth with foundational skills which can assist them in developing, nurturing and commercializing their innovations.
"This initiative also provides a platform for innovators to pitch their ideas directly to the Government and acquire necessary support and guidance," Mr Hatibu added.
Around 100 TUM students from various departments attended the event.
Those who accompanied the ICTA Deputy Director included Dr Salim Didi, Managing Consultant at ICTA and Peace Alive Limited; Ms Jackline Macharia, Principal Innovation Officer, ICTA; Dr Mvurya Mgala, a Senior Lecturer in the Institute of Computing and Informatics (ICI); and Dr Kevin Tole, Deputy Director ICI.
The training, as facilitated by Dr Didi, covered four key areas. They included innovation readiness, ideation, prototyping and the Art of Storytelling and pitching; Business model canvas for value creation and Design Thinking in Innovation and Product Development; Entrepreneurial Management and Leadership: Start-Up funding, Financial Management and Legal Processes for early stage businesses.
The other area was Market Entry: Strategies, Product Validation, Release Management, Market Development and Growth Strategy.
Dr Kevin Tole represented the VC, Prof Laila and the DVC, Prof Gichangi, who were absent with apology.
Dr Tole urged the youth to embrace innovation and the digital economy for it is the future.
He noted that finding ways to commercialize innovations will enable youth to self-employ and deal with the rampant unemployment problem.
"The sky is not the limit; it is the floor," he quipped while encouraging youth to think outside the box when it comes to entrepreneurial innovations.
Dr Mvurya Mgala, reminded the audience that skills are very crucial in today’s very competitive world. He urged them to utilize such platforms and initiatives that could transform their lives.
Talking on behalf of ICTA, Mr Kevin explained that this is the 4th year they are conducting such trainings within universities.
The target audience is Computer Science and Business students and any other students interested in entrepreneurship that leverages technology.
He also reminded the attendants that the program is offered free of charge by the Government to ensure that all students in Public Universities can get an understanding of entrepreneurship and have the necessary skills to create jobs for themselves.
Dr Tole further stressed the importance of such programs and referred to five TUM students who were supported by ICTA a few months ago.
The five innovators underwent a two-day Bootcamp training and were sponsored to showcase their innovations during the Pwani Innovation Week last October. The five students included:
Halima Juma Gona with her novel Real-Time Based Water Leakage Detection System; Mwanzia Kathenge with his Poultry Farm Management System; and Edison Jefa with his ASAL Solar Powered Hydroponics.
Others were Nesbon Kolia with Robotic Arm Combined Harvest and Dickens Salim with his Smart Irrigation System.
He reminded the students to make use of the TUM's new Incubation Centre on the first floor of the Corporate Communication Building (Customer Care) at TUM.
The Centre provides a platform for collaboration opportunities, Industry-Specific Focus, Alumni Engagement, Educational Programs and Access to Resources, among others.
The WhiteBox Entrepreneurship Training Program is an example of the many partnership programmes that TUM has undertaken with the goal of capacity-building and empowering early innovators.
