Global Entrepreneurship Week to foster innovation, creativity set for this year

In a continued effort to empower young and upcoming entrepreneurs in Tanzania, the Global Entrepreneurship Week in Tanzania team will host yet, another GEW and this year in a roll, the third edition of Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) activities, under the theme ‘Innovation and Creativity at the Market place’.

 

The event is considered to be the largest celebration of innovators and job creators, where start-ups are motivated and encouraged to drive economic growth and for the best expansion of human welfare.

 

The global initiative kicked off in 2008, launched by former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Carl Schramm, the president and CEO of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

 

“With an increasing rise in unemployment rates in Tanzania, embracing and promoting entrepreneurship is what will raise the country to that next level of being an economic giant. 

 

Having conducted two other GEW events in Tanzania which focused on Awakening Entrepreneurship potential in 2012 and Access to Financial Resources in 2013, this year we are concentrating on Innovation and Creativity at the market place--providing creative solutions to the consumers and thus increasing value proposition of entrepreneurs,” said Lillian Secelela Madeje, Managing Director of Professional Approach Development and Organising Team for GEW Tanzania yesterday.

 

She also noted that GEW Tanzania is part of a global initiative within an international network of over 140 countries dedicated to advance and empower entrepreneurs across the globe.

 

“From Zanzibar to the shores of Lakes Victoria and Tanganyika, in every corner of the land, we want to make a rallying call to all entrepreneurs to bring innovative ideas to the market place,” she added.

 

The one week event set for November 17 to 23, this year is looking to spark entrepreneur’s minds in delivering cutting edge solutions at the marketplace, she said. 

 

This year’s event has seen great collaboration and partnership from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange, ZAYEE, KINU Hub, Professional Approach Development, Trinity Group East Africa and Africa 2.0 Tanzanian Chapter.

 

“The weeklong events will aim to celebrate, encourage, promote and enable entrepreneurship through training and workshops, mentorship and inspiration from entrepreneurs such as Mercy Kitomari of Nelwas Gelato, Mboni Masimba of The Mboni Show, Jennifer Bash of Alaska Tanzania and so many more,” she said.

 

GEW Tanzania events and activities will showcase what thousands of organisations already do to help foster a culture that embraces innovation, imagination and creativity.

 

“Each day will be dedicated to a specific segment group from women in entrepreneurship, youth in entrepreneurship, agriculture and entrepreneurship, a meet up between start ups and venture capitalist firms and it will culminate with a Three-day Start Up weekend event,” she added.

 

Carl Schramm, one of the founders of GEW, president and CEO of Kauffman Foundation said: “Global Entrepreneurship Week will be happening in almost every country in the world five years from now.

 

What this means is that probably half a billion people in one week will think about a different career for themselves. They will see in GEW a moment, a second, a day, a lecture, a TV show, a program me, when they reassess what they are going to do with their lives”