Peter Drucker, one of the greatest management gurus of this century, summarizes so succinctly what UZA-MAZAO is all about: “Because its purpose is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two-and only these two-basic functions: marketing and innovation…all the rest are cost”.
Uza-MazaoTM which is a Swahili word for “sell your produce”, is quickly becoming Africa's biggest, best-deal, 24/7 market in a mobile phone. It creates a marketplace via Short Message System – SMS text messaging to bring unprecedented levels of efficiency to buyers and sellers of crops, farm produce, livestock and livestock products.
Dr. Raymond Rugemalira’s UZA-MAZAO (http://www.uzamazao.blogspot.com) is a revolutionary idea that covers the two basic function of any business endeavor: Market and innovation. The innovation aspect is equally unprecedented as the marketing aspect for the rural farmers. Despite the fact that traditional communication infrastructures are nearly non-existent, there is a ray of hope through the resurgence of the use of cell-phones. COSAD (Community Solutions for Africa’s Development) (www.cosad.org), last year found that there is, at least, one cell-phone in every three households in the communities of Izigo, and Kangabusharo in rural Bukoba, Tanzania, where we are currently supporting farmers and women through our popular program: One Women One Goat. One Woman, One Goat, OWOG is a COSAD project under its core program named TACE (Tanzania Community Enterprise) initiative which was designed to create economic opportunities in rural Tanzania using market-based, micro business approaches to promote income-generating community projects.
UZA-MAZAO will solve the biggest puzzle in enterprise development in the rural areas that continues to be the challenge: Market. Currently local farmers in rural areas in Africa face daunting challenges beyond production of their crops. Even existing social enterprise and micro-lending programs have not done a good job in creating awareness on the role of the market and have not succeeded to close the huge gap between local producers and market access which is largely due to the lack of trade infrastructure and trading networks. Market is king. UZA-MAZAO is guaranteed to be the preferred partner of everybody engaged in the rural micro enterprise development. COSAD wants to take a faster track. The meeting is scheduled in early March in 2010 in Silicon Valley, California with the founder Dr Rugemalira and COSAD Executive Director to discuss sole representation in Tanzania!
COSAD being an organization that works with farmers and micro entrepreneurs in the Northwestern part of Tanzania will greatly provide an avenue for farmers ranging from goat owners selling their milk, organic farmers, to micro enterprise groups to have their market information on their figure tip. In addition, the most recently forged relationship between COSAD and the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (www.tccia.com), the largest trade industry in the country puts COSAD on the front seat on the matters related to linking Tanzania’s private enterprises with local, regional and international market.
P.S. The African Diaspora Marketplace Competition was organized by USAID and Western Union. Out of 733 entrants 58 were chosen as finalists and out of these only 14 were chosen as winners and were awarded grants. Uza-MazaoTM was among the 14 winners.
By Smart P. Baitani, Executive Director, COSAD Inc (www.cosad.org)
COSAD Mission:
To build partnerships that create community development through the support of projects involving micro-enterprise, health, education and culture.
COSAD Vision:
Empowering Tanzanians to get out of poverty, one community at a time.
How do you teach these farmers to be more aware of what is out there for them, and to WANT to be more involved? If they were reading this article of yours, they would feel lost. How do you bring all of this to them on their level?
ReplyDeleteThe cell phone idea is good, but as you know, the networks in TZ. are not. They need accountability as well.
I would first of all like to appreciate your efforts on tackling poverty in Tanzania, and Bukoba in particular through education, micro-enterprise and health. Kagera is one of the region in Tanzania which is highly economically and politically marginalized. Studies shows that people are moving from agricultural based economy due low produce and highly distorted markets to informal micro-businesses. The challenge they are facing includes lack of credit, markets, and business management skills. I believe these efforts would help to reduce the pains to some extent. Kudos
ReplyDeleteGood work you guys are doing there, but i have question, Do you provide employment opportunuties for young tanzanians who have recently graduated from universities?
ReplyDelete-Chrisropher Michael Kato(Rugemalira)
Bba(marketing)SAUT,tz.
I have fell in love with the whole idea.In this way,farmers will be able to make an extra income and also put a little more effort to their work.By cutting off the big cartels that buy from the farmer at bad prices,they will be able to sell directly to the consumer at a fair price to them and a fair one too to the buyer.Great job Dr. Raymond.
ReplyDelete