Engineers making a difference

A group of self-taught engineers are designing wind mills that generate electricity and pump water through a machine. All the machines are made from local materials, aimed at making a difference in rural areas.

Tamimu Kifungu, 28, is a young innovator who came up with the idea of embarking on these projects following his uncle’s mentorship.

“My uncle used to dig wells locally. It is through him that I learned how we can use a wind mill as an energy source to pump water, something which could ease availability of the precious liquid in rural areas,” he says.

Tamimu says his dream is to help Tanzanians to become self-sufficient and resolve their water and energy woes without depending on the government.

According to him, since Tanzania is blessed with abundant wind power, it is time people used it to end energy and water shortage.

“Our society needs water and electricity, the wind mills will help to solve the challenges faced by pastoral communities,” says Tamimu.

How they started.

Tamimu says upon completion of his diploma, he stayed home for sometime before he thought of establishing his ‘Team Success’ company in collaboration with his co-founders, who are professional engineers, noting that the company is headquartered in Magomeni in the city. After joining expertise with colleagues, Tamimu says they were short of capital so he asked one of his brothers to only give them material.

“Our project took time to its fruition because everyone had to contribute material and moral support, thank goodness our steadfastness and perseverance made it all possible,” he says.

The co-founder says that up to now they’ve managed to set up 11 windmills all around the country in Vikindu, Mkuranga District, Miono Ward in Chalinze, Tegeta, Kiluvya, Kibaha, Nungwi in Zanzibar, Iramba, Singida, Kigamboni in Dar es Salaam, Kagunga, Kigoma region together with Mvuti in Dodoma city.

Tamimu attributes success of his projects to his rigorous research, where he constantly embarked on looking for materials of different sizes that could make it possible to create durable machines.

He notes that one has to study the climatic conditions of an area before deciding to dig a well.

Tamimu says after setting up the windmill, wind vain is of much help alongside consulting the natives in the area concerned to shed light on the nature of the weather conditions.

Challenges

Tamimu passed through rigmarole in registering his company. He said that some officials at the concerned ministry were not ready to agree with the newness of the project.

He also says that capital was another hard nut to crack, adding that purchasing raw materials to set up the machines was so hard that they had even thought of abandoning the entire project over cash woes.

“There were moments when we felt discouraged. People were dissuading us that our efforts would end up fruitless after they had learned that we use local materials to make power houses,” he says.

Speaking about the plan, Tamimu says that he believes in the power of togetherness, noting that it is team work that had made the company successful.

Tamimu calls upon the President to cast eyes on the upcoming innovative youth as he continues to promote the industrialization drive.

“As we create this windmill, we need support from the government because the project benefits a good number of people in rural areas,” he says, adding that he had severally heard of Members of Parliament bragging to have devised measures of solving water and energy woes in their constituencies, it was time they collaborated with him.

According to Tamimu the country needs to invest in energy so as to industrialize, elaborating that developed nations like the US and China have huge energy stock that is why they are developed.