SMEs Within East African Community Challenged To Become More Innovative -

By Senior Reporter VALENTINE OFORO

“All you have to do is to become more creative through by making valuable products from the resources surrounding your respective areas,”

THE entrepreneurs within the East African Community (EAC) member states have been challenged to become more innovative and increase their skills in order to produce quality products that will fetch lucrative markets across the globe.

The challenge was issued yesterday here by the Deputy Secretary General in the Prime Minister’s Office ( Labour, Youth, Employment and the Disabled), Ms Zuhura Yunus when gracing the Tanzania Day celebration held yesterday at the ongoing 24th edition of the EAC’s Small and Medium (SM) entrepreneurs exhibition, populary knows as ‘Jua Kali’.

In her remarks at the colorful event which attracted all of the Tanzania’s entrepreneurs who are in Sudan for exhibiting and marketing their products, Yunus observed that the countries with the EAC are awash with numerous natural resources that can be transformed into useful products.

“All you have to do is to become more creative through by making valuable products from the resources surrounding your respective areas,” she insisted.

She asked the Secretariat of the East African Community (EAC) to continue staging and promoting the exhibition, saying it is playing a meaningful role of creating potential podium for the small and medium entrepreneurs within the EAC member states to heighten their innovations as well as expanding their market scope.

For his part, Ms Annette Mutaawe, the Deputy Secretary General in Charge of Customs Trade and Monetary Affairs at the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat observed that the exhibitions have continued to enable entrepreneurs within the concerned countries to increase their commercial potential and expand the scope of their regional market.

In general, the entrepreneurs who participated in the exhibition have said that they have been able to promote products produced in Tanzania and have thanked the Government led by the Hon. President, Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan for facilitating their participation.

Under the theme of ‘Promoting Unique Innovation and Skill Development Among Small and Medium Entrepreneurs of East Africa” the 24 edition of the EAC’s entrepreneurs exhibition is attracting at least 1,700 entrepreneurs from all member countries of the East African Community, including 299 from Tanzania and is being held for the maiden time in South Sudan since the country joined the community in 2016.