It is a world of possibilities

Can a hungry man or woman be able to think of feeding the world? Can a non-educated man or woman think of changing the world with education? Can a struggling business person or firm in the local setting think of taking the business globally?

At the face value, it’s hard. For instance, in the case of hunger, they used to say hope is a good breakfast but a poor supper.

If someone does not eat breakfast and lunch, and in the evening, there is also no food, it’s a dire situation. Human beings, like any other living organism, have biological needs (like food) to survive. In our life, when someone seeks help for lack of food, we should be sympathetic and help when possible.

Ideally, most businesses are established to fulfil a need. Even a hungry person can think of a food business to feed the world. A non-educated person can go to great lengths to get an education, and become an educator.

A struggling locally based business can also rise and become globally known.

This is not easy at all, but it can happen as we live in a world of great possibilities. The Tanzania’s Deputy Permanent Secretary-Economic Management Policies, Ministry of Finance and Planning, Mr. Lawrence Mafuru, recently asked the private sector in Tanzania, to stop being inward-looking and “think about the global market of eight billion people.” The big question is, what if a company has not been able to serve the inward 60 million market or the over 300 million EAC citizens? Can it go for the 8 billion people? According to Mr Mafuru- “There are abundant market opportunities out there. What you need to do is thinks big and expect big. The sky is the limit, but the limit is within our minds.”

He reminds of the late business guru Reginald Mengi’s famous quote: “Everything you see is the product of someone’s imagination or dream.

What is your imagination? What is your dream”?

If Tanzania and Africa are not ready to go global, nations outside Africa will continue dominating us in production and business-wise. We end up being the market for the rest of the world and leaving our young men and women jobless. Just look at our roads and see how many cars are made in Africa and profitable. Look at our manufacturing sectors; beer and cigarette companies are the biggest taxpayers. Can we develop a nation via beer drinking and smoking? It’s hard.

In terms of people and natural resources, Tanzania has what it takes to become a global business leader in numerous sectors. For instance, our maize and cassava can give the world the start it needs to power industries.

There are numerous crop value chains that can be established to serve the world. But we need to up our imaginations and brand our nation. Look at Tanzania beans, Tanzania is the lead supplier in Africa, but we have zero branding.

As Mafuru says, it’s time for Tanzania-based firms to take the lead in going global.

We live in the age of the internet with the onset of digital marketing, and making brands go global is no longer for the rich people and companies in the world. It’s more about the imagination and capturing the minds of the masses in the world.

Yes, firms and business people in Tanzania face many challenges, but they can still rise to the occasion. In a big way, business ventures are about solving the problems faced by the world.

Tanzania and Africa should be in the lead. We must collectively refuse to be a market dump for all products made outside the continent while we export very little. Each African country deserves a balance of trade for the good of its citizens.