|
Unemployment: Tanzania has ample opportunities for the daring
2006-05-15 09:00:15
By Pastory Nguvu
QUESTION: What are you doing now after graduating from the University of Dar es Salaam?
ANSWER: Like many other graduates, when I completed my university education I failed to secure a job due to the problem of unemployment facing the country.
But I didn’t despair, and therefore teamed up with three friends to form a company called Allied Chemicals Limited (ACL).
This is a private company incorporated in Tanzania under Cap 212 of the Companies Ordinance.
Our company is registered with the Tanzania Revenue Authority as a taxpayer.
Q: What is the company’s mission and vision?
A: When we decided to form this company we had a vision to be the leading manufacturer of industrial cleaning chemicals, laundry detergents, bleach, and disinfectants in the country and in the East African region as a whole.
We want to make sure that we satisfy our customers and win both the domestic and foreign markets.
The company has been undergoing reorganization since its inception in order to cope up with business.
Initially our company was operating at the Sido Estate Industrial Area along Mwalimu Nyerere Road.
However, in the year 2004 it established two branches at Ubungo and Mwanza in order to increase its sales.
In January 2005, the company established its liaison office at Kariakoo area to give room for more production to its plant at the SIDO estate.
Q: What kind of products do you manufacture and for whom?
A: Our firm defines its products based on the clients’ need.
Therefore our company produces certain products to institutional customers on a monthly basis and also produces other products for other customers.
The products supplied to our institutional customers are like those we supply to Tanzania Breweries Limited TBL on behalf of T&C Chemicals PTY Limited, a South African company.
Under this category our company supplies industrial cleaning chemicals for cleaning of bottles, floors, pipes, storage tanks and fermentation tools to TBL branches per month.
Apart from institutional products, the company also has a list of 40 products for both institutional and household use.
Q: What are your achievements since the company’s establishment in 2002?
A: We have succeeded in various fields. For example, when we started there were three directors and four workers only.
However, this number has shot up to 30 casual and employed workers.
All the workers are Tanzanians and we did so because we believe that we Tanzanians can do a lot of things if we cooperate. What is needed is confidence among us.
There are many young people who have graduated from different universities and colleges who can work in industrial cleaning chemicals.
That is why we target this group in order to provide employment to jobless youths.
There is a big market for these products, which at the moment we cannot meet it.
Q: What are the challenges you are now facing?
A: Lack of funds is one of the biggest challenges in this business. This makes us sometimes fail to achieve our goals.
It’s very expensive, especially when we want to import some raw materials from abroad.
For instance, we import caustic soda, sodium phosphate and sulphuric acid from China just to mention a few.
The cost of a single container with such items can go up to 150m/-.
We need a capital of about 200m/- per month to operate efficiently.
Although there are financial institutions, which can provide loans, these institutions demand a huge amount security.
Lack of exposure is another challenge we face. We need to learn from other advanced countries especially in matters of packaging and labeling.
This is because many companies in the country are specialized in providing packaging and labeling materials for food products and not chemical products.
There is a need to visit other countries in order to learn techniques for manufacturing, packaging and labeling products in order to win international markets.
Q: Are your products accepted easily to the domestic market?
A: The majority of the local population still does not have the custom of using homemade products.
They prefer imported products, which they think have good quality.
I want to assure them that we Tanzanians can now manufacture high quality products.
But I do not want to blame people for that because they do not know most of our products.
We have therefore decided to use the media to educate the masses on the importance of feeling proud to use our products.
We also plan to participate in different exhibitions such as the Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair and others outside the country.
Q: What is your advice to the government and the unemployed?
A: The government should create an enabling business environment especially for small and medium enterprises.
It has to tell financial institutions to minimize conditions for getting loans.
For graduate students I would say self-employment should be their priority.
The country has many opportunities for jobless people, which if properly utilised can minimize the current labour crisis.
|
