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Embrace innovation, Prof. Luhanga says
2006-09-03 10:07:09
By Correspondent Michael Haonga
Tanzanians have been challenged to embrace innovation in their drive towards modern agriculture and industrial economy through multi-faceted efforts.
The challenge was thrown by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Dar es Salaam, Professor Mathew Luhanga in the city on Friday, while closing a training workshop on development innovation systems.
He said Tanzania had ’’...no option other than embrace innovations as a vital tool for accelerating not only the transition of our country to industrial economy, but also for modernization of our agriculture.’’
Professor Luhanga said industrialization in Tanzania had to be closely tied to development of micro, small and medium scale (MSMEs), not only because the process to that end was linked to them but also because the firms had greater potential to generate employment opportunities and poverty alleviation.
He also cautioned that the relationship between small enterprise development and the process of industrialization is being constrained by a number of obstacles .
The obstacles included low level of product and process technology, small product markets, lack of access to capital, poor physical infrastracture and lack of institutional framework for addressing them.
Professor Luhanga underlined further that innovative clusters initiative was one of the most appropriate ways in addressing the cited structural problems because they give rise to collective efficiency that enhances firms’ competitive advantage and helped firms to respond to opportunities and crises easily.
’’Most importantly, clusters offer a fertile ground for technological innovation,’’ Professor Luhanga stressed.
The don challenged workshop participants to translate the knowledge they had gained into practice so that the certificates they had been awarded did not remain as mere decorations, but constant reminders of what was expected of them to effect change in development for the better.
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