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Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete (centre) named 22-year-old David Ssegawa from Kampala, Uganda (right) as the competition winner at a gala evening on 27 June 2007

Young Ugandan entrepreneur wins BBC Swahili birthday competition

28 June 2007

Winner will make a presentation at Commonwealth Youth Forum

The Commonwealth Secretariat teamed up with the BBC to celebrate the Swahili speaking service’s 50th birthday at the final of the Prosper with the BBC/Faidika Na BBC competition in Dar es Salaam this week.

Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete named 22-year-old David Ssegawa from Kampala, Uganda, as the competition winner at a gala evening on 27 June 2007. He was joined at the event by Valencia Mogegeh, Commonwealth Youth Programme’s Regional Director for Africa.

Prosper with the BBC/Faidika Na BBC was launched in April this year for young entrepreneurs from the East Africa region.

Mr Ssegawa’s idea is to launch a candle-making business which will stop people having to buy imported candles from China.

He beat over 5,000 Swahili-speaking new business hopefuls to win the live finals and a cash prize of US$2,000. He pitched his idea to a team of East African judges in front of a live audience. The finals were broadcast live across East Africa on BBC radio and on Tanzanian television stations, ITV and EATV.

Mr Ssegawa explained: “Uganda suffers from loads of power cuts and there is a massive shortage of electricity. There is a daily problem of power rationing which has led to the increase in the price of fuel and therefore a high demand for candles. At present, candles are imported from China but I want to launch a business which will make them locally and bring savings and benefits to the local community.”

He will use his prize money to buy a machine for melting and moulding the wax. He will employ someone and rent premises for three months. In addition to the US$2,000, he won a laptop and the unique opportunity to address delegates at the Commonwealth Youth Forum, which runs from 14 to 21 November, prior to the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala, Uganda.

President Kikwete presented the prize saying: “I thank the BBC for coming up with such a great idea primarily because it’s a challenge for young people. I truly hope the BBC will do another project like this.”

At the event, the Commonwealth called for greater opportunities to support young entrepreneurs.

“Around the world tonight, there are about 300 million young people between 18 and 30 years old who are unemployed or underemployed,” Ms Mogegeh said.

“Around 20 per cent of them have the potential to become entrepreneurs and yet less than 5 per cent do.

“This is unacceptable waste of talent and should be presented to the business world as both a challenge and an opportunity.

“The Commonwealth Youth Programme believes young people must have the tools and encouragement they need to play an active part in reversing marginalisation, poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, and disease.”

BBC Swahili Head Solomon Mugera said: “David Ssegawa has a dynamic and exciting business idea which thrilled the judges and will clearly benefit people in Uganda.”

The multi-award winning singer Lady JD gave a special performance at the event held at the Kilimanjaro Hotel. Visitors to bbcswahili.com can hear the show again for up to a week.

The three Faidika Na BBC runners up were Kenya's Arthur Buliva and Tanzanians Francis Wakara Baraka and Geofrey Kibiki who receive cash prizes and a mobile phone to help kick-start their business ideas.