By Anthony John
In Tanga City, where young people constitute a significant nearly 39% of the total population, the TangaYetu initiative has emerged as an absolutely crucial force for tangible progress. It has profoundly empowered young individuals through a dynamic range of strategic initiatives spanning skills development, robust entrepreneurship, essential digital literacy, and vital environmental conservation. Fadhili Sesia, Tanga’s dedicated Youth Development Officer, has been a firsthand observer of the profound, positive impact of TangaYetu’s comprehensive programs on the city’s youth, which have successfully provided new avenues for significant growth, meaningful community building, and active economic participation.
“Supporting our youth with limited resources has always been an immense challenge,” Sesia shares candidly. “But through the strategic intervention of TangaYetu, we’ve been able to genuinely reach young people in ways that simply weren’t conceivable or possible before.”
Youth-Centric Economic Empowerment: Jamhuri Park, Digital Literacy, and the Tumbilini Incubation Centre
TangaYetu’s holistic approach to youth empowerment includes meticulously creating both physical and digital spaces where young people can effectively connect, actively collaborate, and diligently develop their crucial entrepreneurial skills.
- Jamhuri Park Revitalization: Once merely a simple public space, Jamhuri Park has undergone a remarkable transformation to become a vibrant, bustling marketplace and a dynamic hub for youth entrepreneurship. Young entrepreneurs now regularly gather here to proudly showcase their products, interact directly with discerning customers, and diligently learn fundamental business principles, all while making a tangible contribution to Tanga’s burgeoning local economy. “The park has become an invaluable space for young people to organically grow their ventures, meet diverse new people, and significantly expand their professional network,” notes Sesia.
- Tumbilini Incubation Centre: TangaYetu’s innovative Tumbilini Incubation Centre provides hands-on, practical training in critical sectors such as sustainable fisheries, modern agribusiness, and efficient poultry farming. This immersive, hands-on approach allows young people to acquire truly valuable skills that directly contribute to securing their livelihoods and bolstering the community’s overall food security. “These are practical, actionable skills that genuinely empower youth to support themselves and progressively become inspiring role models within their respective communities,” Sesia emphasizes with conviction.
- Digital Literacy Training: Recognizing the paramount importance of advanced digital tools in today’s rapidly evolving economy, TangaYetu has diligently equipped youth with crucial skills in digital marketing, effective business management, and practical technology applications. “Through our comprehensive digital literacy programs, many young people now profoundly understand how to strategically expand their market reach online, thereby creating entirely new, lucrative avenues for sustained business growth,” says Sesia. TangaYetu further supports vital youth participation in major trade fairs like Sabasaba and Nanenane, providing them with invaluable platforms to proudly showcase their innovative products and forge connections with broader, more diverse markets.
TangaYetu has also proactively forged strategic partnerships designed to introduce both cutting-edge sustainable technology and significantly enhanced safety measures for Tanga’s dynamic youth population.
- Innovation with Robotech: In a groundbreaking collaboration with Robotech, TangaYetu proudly introduced electric bikes and motorcycles, providing an environmentally sustainable and notably cost-effective alternative to traditional vehicles. This innovative project not only thoughtfully addresses pressing environmental concerns but also meticulously teaches young people essential maintenance skills, with diligent students from VETA learning precisely how to competently operate and expertly repair electric vehicles.
- Road Safety with AMEND: TangaYetu partnered strategically with AMEND to substantially enhance road safety around critical school zones by diligently adding essential pedestrian walkways, clearly marked crosswalks, and vital traffic signage. “Parents and teachers have expressed immense gratitude,” Sesia notes with satisfaction. “Children can now travel to and from school safely and with confidence, significantly reducing one of the major daily concerns for countless families.”
Shifting Perspectives: Mindset Change and the Youth Engagement Platform
A truly unique and foundational aspect of TangaYetu’s innovative approach is its dedicated focus on Mindset Change—a concerted effort to encourage young people to actively identify and focus on opportunities rather than becoming fixated on perceived obstacles.
“Mindset change has profoundly empowered youth to approach available resources and programs with newfound confidence, boldly pursuing their own entrepreneurial business ideas or confidently applying for essential loans,” Sesia explains. Through TangaYetu’s dynamic Youth Platform, young people from Tanga’s 27 wards actively connect via WhatsApp and various other digital channels to share vital information, robustly discuss innovative ideas, and enthusiastically participate in organized sports and recreational activities.
“By meticulously creating a comprehensive database of youth talents and diverse skills across the entire city, TangaYetu has significantly streamlined access to various opportunities,” Sesia adds. “When major trade fairs or significant events like National Youth Week emerge, we can quickly and efficiently connect young people with the relevant skills to these crucial platforms, thereby building a stronger, more cohesive sense of community.”
Blue Economy: Sustainable Marine Ventures
For young people residing along Tanga’s vibrant coastline, TangaYetu has successfully introduced a fresh, innovative way of thinking about the expansive ocean through its impactful Blue Economy initiatives. Projects in sustainable seaweed farming, responsible crab breeding, and meticulous sea cucumber cultivation have collectively enabled young people to successfully diversify their income streams in an environmentally conscious and sustainable manner.
“The ocean is now far more than just a traditional source of fish,” Sesia shares with enthusiasm. “With TangaYetu’s invaluable support, young people can now genuinely earn a sustainable living from the ocean in diverse ways that actively preserve the fragile environment and robustly support their families.”
Financial Support and the STEMPACK Innovation Hub
- Access to Financial Resources: TangaYetu has diligently worked hand-in-hand with Tanga’s municipal office to proactively help youth access vital development loans. The municipal office strategically allocates 10% of its internal revenue collections specifically for these development loans (comprising 4% for youth, 4% for women, and 2% for people with disabilities). Through TangaYetu’s comprehensive financial literacy training, young people are now significantly more confident in successfully applying for and responsibly managing these loans, thereby diligently growing their businesses in a sustainable and accountable manner.
- STEMPACK Innovation Hub: One of TangaYetu’s flagship and most inspiring projects, STEMPACK, has ingeniously transformed an old, disused building into a state-of-the-art science and innovation center. This dynamic hub proactively exposes young people to exciting fields like robotics, cutting-edge digital fabrication, and other crucial STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines. “The center provides structured, engaging learning opportunities on weekends, effectively equipping youth with practical, highly relevant skills that are directly applicable to today’s rapidly evolving job market,” Sesia explains. STEMPACK has successfully made science and technology genuinely accessible to youth across all of Tanga, thereby inspiring a new, vibrant generation of future innovators.
Building a Legacy of Progress and Unity
As TangaYetu’s impactful initiatives continue to expand and grow, Sesia observes an ongoing, profound transformation both within the youth population and the broader Tanga community. “Our young people now articulate with genuine pride the invaluable skills they’ve diligently gained and the promising future they actively envision for themselves,” he states. “They’re not merely passive participants; they are now active changemakers, vigorously shaping Tanga’s future with their own hands and ideas.”
With sustained support and the exciting potential for expanded funding, TangaYetu aims to positively impact an even greater number of young people and communities, thereby forging an enduring legacy of robust collaboration and exponential growth for Tanga.
Sesia concludes with a powerful statement of hope and commitment: “TangaYetu is fundamentally about much more than just individual projects—it’s about profoundly reshaping our community’s collective future. Our youth now possess the essential skills, expansive networks, and unwavering confidence to truly realize their aspirations, and together, we are diligently building a city that is not only ready but eagerly prepared for tomorrow’s complex challenges.”