Young Tanzanian innovators have been urged to move beyond showcasing ideas at exhibitions and turn their innovations into commercially viable products capable of creating jobs, generating income and solving challenges facing society.
The call was made by Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) Director General Dr Amos Nungu on August 19, 2026, during the National Education, Skills and Innovation Week being held at Usagara Grounds in Tanga City.
The week, which runs from August 15 to 24, was officially launched by Education, Science and Technology Minister Prof Adolf Mkenda and has brought together stakeholders from government ministries, higher learning institutions, technical and vocational training institutions, research organisations and the private sector.
More than 300 institutions are participating in the event, held under the theme “Education, Skills and Innovation: A Path to Achieving the National Development Vision 2050.”
The theme reflects the government's broader ambition to use education, skills and innovation to support the country's development goals, including building a US$1 trillion economy by 2050, raising average per capita income to between US$7,000 and US$12,000 and creating decent employment opportunities for at least half of Tanzanians.
Dr Nungu said innovation should not end with academic papers, exhibitions or awards, arguing that its real value is realised when ideas are transformed into products and services that reach the market.
He said Tanzania produces thousands of graduates every year at a time when employment opportunities remain limited, making innovation and entrepreneurship increasingly important in addressing youth unemployment.
“Many good innovations remain at the idea stage without reaching the market. We need to change this by ensuring that innovations become businesses that create income and employment,” Dr Nungu said.
He said young innovators should work closely with researchers, financial institutions, businesses and other stakeholders to improve their ideas and develop products that respond to actual market needs.
Dr Nungu also called for innovation to be nurtured from an early age, saying preparations should begin at school rather than waiting until young people enter universities or complete their studies.
He urged students and young innovators to develop practical skills and collaborate with different stakeholders to turn their ideas into solutions that can be used by ordinary Tanzanians.
The push is backed by government financing and support programmes aimed at helping innovators overcome one of the major challenges facing start-ups—access to capital.
Dr Nungu said COSTECH, through the National Fund for the Advancement of Science and Technology (NFAST), commonly known as MTUSATE, had provided loan guarantees and seed funding worth more than TZS 129 billion to support research and youth innovations.
More than TZS 85 billion of the funding had come directly from the government, he said.
COSTECH has also established 90 science and innovation desks in local government authorities across the country, a move aimed at extending support to young innovators beyond major urban centres.
Dr Nungu said the MAKISATU programme had so far supported 268 innovators and facilitated the formal registration of 23 youth-led start-up companies.
The initiatives come as COSTECH marks 40 years since its establishment, with the commission seeking to strengthen the role of science, technology and innovation in Tanzania's economic transformation.
For young innovators, the message from COSTECH is increasingly clear: an idea should not end on a display stand—it should become a product, a business, a source of income and, ultimately, a source of employment for others.
