Always we have been guided by what is happening elsewhere and trying to copy and paste to our environment the result has been total mess.
— Jumanne Mtambalike (@J4Mtambalike) March 18, 2015
The most common question whenever people come across two or more technology hubs operating in the same city always has been, you guys working together? At least in Tanzania we are working together and the reason has been each hub has realized its role in the ecosystem and there is no reason to overlap or to encourage duplication of efforts. Frankly, it has never been easy. After hundreds of talks and discussion between I and my co-hub manager Brian Paul we realized we need to find a position for Buni hub in the ecosystem. The position that will help Buni not only to avoid duplication of efforts but also to add a missing value in the ecosystem.
We knew Dar es Salaam Technology Business Incubator (DTBi) is already doing incubation, KINU co-creation hub they are more focused on startups acceleration while other local programmes are more of technology for social impact projects. So, where are we going to put Buni in the ecosystem that seems to be complete ? It was never until one day when I and my co-hub manager was discussing the skills gap in local universities and how Buni could help to close this gap. We realize there is still an important part of the ecosystem which is not covered; capacity building and skills development. Most of the youth wanted to become entrepreneurs, but they lack skills to be entrepreneurs or at least be employable.
Buni officially decided to be at the bottom of the pyramid, to help people with early stage ideas and startups at preliminary stage to develop skills and build enough capacity not only to build company but also to become competent enough to be employable in the job market. At Buni hub we don't do incubation, acceleration and other related programmes since Buni hub act as a feeder programme to those programme, We believe this a crucial role to play in the ecosystem provided that our education systems doesn't equip these youths with enough skills for them to become entrepreneurs. The notion that, no jobs equals to join entrepreneurship is reason why most of the African startups dies. The system simply believe by pushing people without job to become entrepreneurs then they will eventually become one without preparing them to face the facts of entrepreneurship.
All the programme and activities that are conducted at Buni the priority focus is on capacity building and skills development whether is making these youths to become employable or entrepreneurs. The ugly fact is that, if you don't have enough qualities to be employed then definitely you don't possess enough qualities to be successful entrepreneur. So when you are unemployed and someone is forcing you to start a business think twice what is the reason that made you to be outside the job market for those X number of years.
The two main programmes; internship programme and mentoring programme aims to address this issue and help to bridge the gap for local students to be able at least to develop the culture of being entrepreneurs before the join incubators or accelerator programmes.
African hubs operating in same city needs to know the ecosystem is huge and there is a lot of roles to play you don't have to copy cut what already someone is doing and bring unnecessary confrontations. Do something different and add value to what is already happening set your own KPIs. It is not necessary that every hub should be gauged by number of successful companies this ain't Silicon Valley and we have a long way to go. Let's look in our ecosystems and understand what is missing and then add it. It is a learning process, it won't happen overnight, but at least you will be able to know what are you exactly offering in the innovation or technology ecosystem in your country.
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