Caught up with the folks at KINU hub – a local technology innovation, development, and study space co-funded by Google. Met up with two of the co-founders – JohnPaul and Emmanuel – cool guys with a big vision, who also (you guessed it) were friends with Andrew and a couple of the other young people that I’ve met so far in my journey.
The KINU space is ideal for innovation – large, communal, wifi-enabled, quiet, and equipped with lots of free water and coffee. I demoed a few of the products on display at the Samsung Smart Table and chatted with a few of the ‘KINU dwellers’. Some great projects and ideas are being crafted by ‘KINU dwellers’ and those that they teach – looking forward to learning more through future Anzisha applications!
After hanging out at the space for a bit, met up with David Mwendele and a bunch of us headed over to Mobile Monday Dar es Salaam session at the Sea Cliff Hotel. Mobile Monday is a global forum that enables the gatherine of mobile professionals and visionaries to discuss all things ICT and mobile. Mobile Monday Dar es Salaam brings together young people and seasoned professionals inDar to talk about topics in ICT, tech, entrepreneurship, and innovation. I wasn’t the least bit surprised to find that (you guessed it) nearly all of the young movers and shakers that I’d met so far in my journey were at the event. The night’s panel discussion, ICT and Agriculture, covered the challenges, things to consider, and original ideas in development around tech solutions for advancing the agricultural sector in Tanzania.
A couple of the panelists demoed their applications and beta solutions to the audience. I shared the Anzisha Prize opportunity with the crowed and fielded questions from college students and media reps after the session. I met a number of inspiring and infectiously passionate individuals at the session. Among them were Apollo and Sam. Apollo leads the Tanzania chapter of an organization called SNV, which seeks to support sustainable development initiatives across the globe. Apollo and his local team seek to enable and empower young entrepreneurs to develop their own sustainable development projects. Sam, a recent Harvard grad, is the co-founder of 2Seeds an non-profit that launches agricultural development projects in Tanzania. Also chatted with Mohamed a reporter from BBC Media Action.
David and I grabbed dinner with the 2Seeds team where we had a lengthy discussion about entrepreneurship on the continent and ended the night belting out karaoke tunes. Perfect end to a great day. Really inspired by the people that I’ve met so far and it’s only day two. Looking forward to seeing what the rest of the week has in store! Stay tuned.
