Description
Contrary to popular belief, many sub-Saharan African countries have experienced economic growth in recent decades. Tanzania, located on the east coast of Africa, has also shown an economic growth rate of 7% and the government of Tanzania has announced its vision plan for sustainable development of the country. Tanzania Vision 2025 consists of five main goals: 1) high-quality livelihood, 2) peace, stability and unity, 3) good governance, 4) a well educated and learning society, and 5) a strong and competitive economy. To facilitate poverty alleviation, enhancing human capital of the population, of which 75% participate in the agricultural sector, is one of the key challenges. Consequently, the World Bank has provided seed capital with other international organizations to give birth to the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), so that Tanzanian youth are equipped with skills and knowledge to initiate their own development. The Korean government also has a keen interest in the sustainable development of Tanzania because of political stability, high social inclusion despite ethnic diversity, and its geographical position as a neighbor to 8 countries: Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique. The development potential of Tanzania could facilitate development path for other African countries as well. To solve social challenges of Tanzanian youth, we will partner up with staff and students from Aalto Design Factory this summer to introduce design thinking process to the community at NM-AIST. We, the DFK community, anticipate that this endeavor will be the first step to the establishment of the first Design Factory in the African continent. Ideas generated from this trip will be addressed in the Social IoT class in the fall semester, providing Korean and Tanzanian students to form partnerships to enter global grants available for solutions for social challenges, such as the UNICEF Innovation Fund.
