Business leader stresses key role of innovation

Felix Mosha speaks at a past event. PHOTO|FILE

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Mr Felix Mosha who was graced the fifth episode of Tanzania Mid-Sized Companies Survey in 2015 during his days as chairman for the East African Business Council chairman, says innovation is what businesses need to deliver more profits and growth.

Dar es Salaam. Innovation is key to tackling challenges brought about by continuous change in technology and market conditions, this is according to the former chairman of the East African Business Council, Mr Felix Mosha, in his advise to companies participating in the Top 100 Mid-Sized Companies awards.

Mr Mosha said this during an email interview with The Citizen, whereby he underscored the fact that participation in the survey presents a rare opportunity for the companies to advertise themselves and measure their progress against peers.

Mr Mosha was the guest of honour in the Top 100 Mid-Sized Companies Survey awards in 2015, the fifth event since its introduction, whereby SoftNet Technologies emerged as the overall winners.

During the event in 2015, Mr Mosha advised the participating companies to join forces, saying they stood a better chance of succeeding if they worked together rather than individually.

Morogoro Plastics Limited were second runners up followed by Kays Logistics, Abascus Pharma and Techno Brain. “The world gives precedence to innovation which is the key for companies to sustain competitiveness and enterprise growth,” he said.

Mr Mosha said the survey had become increasingly popular over the years and urged more companies to participate because “it is an opportunity to grow and network.” He added that the programme had been successful because it provided an opportunity for the companies advertise themselves.

He credited the winners’ selection process for objectivity and fairness. “Since the programme started there has never been any complaints on the choice of winners, thereby giving the organisers credit that they are fair and objective,” he said.

He noted that the benefits of the programme are real - in the context of the entrepreneurial spirit that the programme encourages and supports, adding that the involvement of the companies has come a long way with more companies getting involved.

Further he noted that the programme has encouraged companies to move away from their traditional ways of conducting business that were not good.

Explaining he said one of the conditions for the companies to participate in the survey includes having audited reports and good leadership structure among others.

The programme gives the mid-sized companies an opportunity to expand and be the backbone of the country’s economy because they are able to employ Tanzanians as well as pay taxes to the government.