By The Respondent Reporter
In a modest classroom at Kijitonyama Secondary School in Dar es Salaam, a quiet technological awakening has been unfolding.
At its center is Evance Steven (17), a Form Four student whose journey from routine classroom learning to hands-on innovation reflects a broader shift among Tanzania’s youth — a shift toward science, technology, and self-belief.
Evance’s relationship with computers began in Form One. At the time, he viewed them as just another subject to pass — a stepping stone toward securing a good job in the future.
“Before studying computer science, I had no idea that I could create anything in the world,” he reflects.
Like many students, his ambitions were shaped by traditional academic expectations. But exposure to computer programs and coding gradually reshaped his thinking. Instead of merely consuming knowledge, he began asking how he could apply it to solve real-world problems.
That mindset crystallized last year when Evance, alongside 11 fellow students, embarked on an ambitious project: designing a portable, solar-powered induction stove. The idea stemmed from a simple, relatable frustration — workers who spend long hours in offices often end up eating cold food.
“We calculated the induction that can warm food in a short time to help those workers eat warm meals,” Evance explains.
The result is a smokeless, portable stove capable of reheating food within 15 to 20 minutes. Their goal is even more ambitious: to reduce that time to between three and five minutes.
Unlike conventional stoves, the prototype does not rely on electricity, firewood, or charcoal. Instead, it uses solar energy — a deliberate choice in a country where reliable power access and clean cooking solutions remain ongoing challenges.
The students’ innovation aligns with both global and national calls for sustainable energy alternatives while directly addressing everyday realities in Tanzanian workplaces.
Although the stove has been tested successfully, it has not yet entered the market.
“There are still improvements we are trying to add to make it much more perfect,” Evance says, revealing both youthful optimism and a disciplined understanding of product development.
Behind this breakthrough lies a support system that underscores the power of public-private partnerships. Through a collaboration between Airtel Tanzania and the Dar Teknohama Business Incubator (DTBi), the Airtel Fursa Lab was launched at Kijitonyama Primary School in Kinondoni Municipality.
The lab provides ICT training ranging from basic computer literacy to advanced coding and programming for students, university learners, teachers, and community members.
For Evance, access to the lab has been transformative. He pays nothing for the training, yet gains exposure to computers, internet connectivity, and mentorship — resources that would otherwise be out of reach for many students.
Ms. Rukia Butenge, a computer teacher at Kijitonyama Secondary School and supervisor of the Fursa Lab, describes the facility as a turning point. Equipped with computers, internet access, and proper furniture, the lab can accommodate at least 50 learners per session. Students attend free of charge — a factor that has led to overwhelming participation.
“We do not charge students for the trainings, making a large number of students flock to the class to learn and practice,” she says.
Through the school’s Innovation Club — a platform for students interested in developing practical solutions — Butenge mentored Evance and his peers as they refined their induction stove. She argues that combining computer studies with science subjects enables students to produce holistic solutions grounded in both theory and application.
“Evance is not the only one,” she notes. “There are many like him who have made wonders through Fursa Lab.”
The Fursa Lab programme, which began in July 2017 under DTBi in collaboration with Airtel Tanzania, aims to empower youth — particularly young women — to become technology-driven entrepreneurs.
According to Emmanuel Mwinuka, Administrative Officer at DTBi, the initiative supports Tanzania’s broader ambition to expand the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and digital innovation nationwide.
“The program started in 2017, and the impact is visible,” he says.
In 2025 alone, DTBi conducted digital literacy training for 785 people — 355 men and 430 women.
Additionally, 799 girls received ICT training, including 787 students and 12 small entrepreneurs.
Web development training sessions, while still male-dominated, reflect gradual diversification in technical participation. During the International Day of the Girl Child 2025, 30 students attended a dedicated ICT session.
Long-term statistics paint an even broader picture. Since 2017, thousands of beneficiaries — including students, teachers, youth, women entrepreneurs, and vulnerable groups — have accessed digital skills training through the programme.
Airtel Tanzania’s Airtel Fursa Lab aligns with the government’s agenda under Dira 2050, which places ICT and innovation at the center of Tanzania’s long-term economic transformation.
As the Government of Tanzania establishes a Digital Technology Institute (DTI) in Dodoma to accelerate digital transformation, private-sector initiatives such as Airtel Fursa Lab complement national efforts to build digital skills and nurture innovation.
The DTI, led by the Ministry of Information, Communication and Information Technology in collaboration with the ICT Commission, is a flagship component of the Digital Tanzania Project, backed by the World Bank and South Korea.
It aims to expand broadband connectivity, strengthen digital public services, and equip youth with skills in software engineering, cybersecurity, data science, and emerging technologies.
Through initiatives like Airtel Fursa Lab, the private sector supports Dira 2050’s priorities of universal digital access, cross-sector technology integration, and the growth of innovation ecosystems.
For Evance, these numbers translate into something deeply personal: possibility.
He belongs to a generation growing up in what he calls “the science and technology era.” For him, continuing to study computer science is not optional — it is inevitable. He envisions creating applications, objects, and systems that address societal challenges far beyond reheating cold meals.
His induction stove may still be a prototype, but symbolically it represents something far greater: a shift from passive learning to active problem-solving; from job-seeking to job-creating; from dependency to innovation.
In the quiet hum of solar-powered induction, one hears not just the warming of food — but the ignition of confidence in Tanzania’s next generation of technologists.
