GRADUATES in architecture, quantity surveying, and engineering have been invited by the Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) to capitalize on investment opportunities through business partnerships.

According to TIC, investment opportunities are vested in the sectors of technology and innovation, education and skills education, content creation, the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange, real estate, agriculture and livestock, and renewable energy.

Latifa Kigoda, TIC Aftercare Unit Manager shared these insights yesterday in Dar es Salaam during the Youth in Science and Technology (YST) Summit 2025.

“We invite all graduates from different universities to invest in projects that address both local and global challenges affecting communities. We encourage them to submit their business ideas or project proposals to TIC;

Where we can support them in finding business partners to collaborate with either in their localities or in other areas,” she said.

The ultimate goal is to create job opportunities and generate income to improve livelihoods.

The summit was organized by the Seris Foundation, with financial support from the Architects and Quantity Surveyors Registration Board (AQRB), Engineers Registration Board (ERB), Benevo, Niajiri Platform, Hilton Law Group, Multilaw, TAWA, and other partners.

The event brought together engineering, architecture, and quantity surveying graduates from various universities, along with innovators, ERB and AQRB staff, sponsors, and other stakeholders from the science and technology sectors.

She says, youth interested in technology and innovation can invest in startups, mobile applications, e-commerce, and digital platforms that offer solutions to societal and global challenges.

Additionally, youth have the ability and opportunity to create investment projects in various sectors to solve the challenges occurring in our communities.

She says, youth can invest in content creation. They should identify the areas they are passionate about and focus on producing quality content that businesspersons can use to grow and flourish.

Also, they should engage in creating digital materials such as websites, videos, blogs, and managing social media.

She further states that in the area of agriculture and livestock, youth can invest in vegetables and fruits farming, and also in poultry farming and fish farming.

In the education and skills education area, youth are advised to invest in service providers, consultancy, training, and partnerships with government and private sector stakeholders.

In the stock market, youth are encouraged to buy shares through the DSE (Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange).

In real estate, they can buy land, build industrial parks or houses. If they already own land, they can partner with an investor or sell the land to investors. TiC will assist in finding partners.

 Additionally, in renewable energy, youth are encouraged to develop projects that use solar, wind, and hydropower and submit them to TIC.

TIC has the responsibility of connecting Tanzanians with foreign investors to collaborate in establishing and developing their investment projects.

Additionally, TIC also provides financial and investment education to youth, to have a habit of saving and capital accumulation to help them become future entrepreneurs and investors.

Architect Dr. Daniel Matondo, Acting Registrar of the AQRB, added that the goal of the summit is to help architects and quantity surveyors transform the education they received in school or university into income-generating ventures, start businesses, and use their creativity to solve problems in their communities.

AQRB was established in 1997 to register and regulate the conduct of architects, quantity surveyors, interior designers, landscape architects, conservation architects, naval architects, furniture architects, building surveyors, and construction managers.

The headquarters of AQRB is located in the Dodoma Region, with zonal offices in Mbeya, Arusha, and Dar es Salaam Region. They plan to register 5,000 architects, quantity surveyors, and other professionals by 2030.

They have also successfully registered project managers, including engineers, architects, and quantity surveyors.

“We have decided to organize this event to help you understand how to register your companies, the criteria required for registration, and the process for registering project managers,” he says

Eng. Bernard Kavishe, Registrar of the ERB, says  that so far the board has registered   42000 engineers within the country,although the number of women is very few. He noted that, as ERB, they are very pleased with this achievement.

 In a bid to attract more girls to study Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), we must take active steps to become more inclusive. We have important work to do in this area, including visiting secondary schools to encourage girls to pursue science subjects.

He urged all architects and quantity surveyors including engineers to be innovative and to seize the opportunities available in their areas.

They should use the challenges in their communities as opportunities to develop projects that can solve local problems instead of relying on employment in various companies in the country.

“Also, when you graduate from college, if you want to become a businessperson, you need soft skills. You need to understand how to write a business plan—a business plan is like a blueprint for your house,” he says.