Tanzanian innovators win Sh700 million award on data for health solutions

Dar es Salaam. Nine individuals and a Tanzanian not-for-profit social enterprise have been awarded Sh724 million as grants to implement the data-focused health solutions through the second Data for Local Impact (DLi) challenge.

The winners will use the funds to develop the proposed solution over a period 3-6 months to tackle challenges facing adolescent girls and young women in the country.

Apart from receiving financial assistance, the winners will be paired with a mentor who will help them develop their innovative ideas into a final product, according to the director general for the Commission of Science and Technology (Costech), Dr Dugushilu Mafunda. 

Speaking during the awards ceremony yesterday, Dr Mafunda said the project aims at finding relevant data on challenges facing young women to help the policy and decision makers come up with consistent legal solutions. 

"In this digital age, we really need relevant data to look for possible solutions to the challenges facing us. That is in this case, Costech has decided to come up with DLi challenge to get innovative individuals and companies to address a such need," he said. 

He added that, in attaining their goal, Costech has joined hands with the US Government's President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Perfar) and Millennium Challenge Cooperation. 

According to one of the grantees, Ms Leyla Liana, the competition was tough but well organised and beneficial to the participants and the community at large. 

"I have realized through the challenge that there are hundreds of innovative people in the country who can address the challenges we face in our daily life, if they are given an opportunity to do so," she said. 

Ms Liana also added that, she is thankful that her thoughts have now turned to reality and can be used to solve the problems of her people. 

She said having an innovative ideas is not enough if there is no place to implement them,  and help the society.