3 .8.6. Develop national skill development policies
3.9.2. Facilitate the development of digital youth-based innovation hubs (DIHs)
PSSA can work with the government to develop a national policy response to incorporate requirements for mandatory certification of youth practitioners in key technical areas such as quality assurance and standardization. Appropriate policy instruments should be developed and linked to the National Qualification Frameworks (NQFs). However, it should, be noted that the implementation of these frameworks requires strong TVET systems. There is a need to equip the TVET systems with the requisite skills to monitor, assess, and share knowledge on how these policies are working. At the moment, this is widely recognized as a key challenge in Tanzania. Efforts should also be made to create appropriate policy incentives for these institutions to ensure skills development initiatives are aligned with skills allocation and utilization in the industry.
PSSA should consider facilitating the development of digital innovation hubs (DIHs) to be run and operated by youth entrepreneurs. There are a number of avenues in which DIHs can be utilized: Delivering relevant services as a ‘” one-stop shopping window” for parties working on digital innovations in the agriculture sector, particularly for input and technology solutions. Provide ITC mechanisms for stock tracking in the input distribution system. Collection and compilation of geospatial data for use in addressing postharvest losses. Act as call centers for the provision of “real” time information between local actors and big global actors; (v) Act as “knowledge brokers” in the input and technology distribution ecosystem. Provide a mechanism for maintaining working relationships with different actors. In this context, DIHs can take the role of a “one-stop shop” where companies—especially the agro-dealers, technology suppliers, SMEs, start-ups and mid-caps— can get access to input and technology-testing, financing advice, market intelligence, and networking opportunities. Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) are public-private partnerships (PPPs) for innovation, providing a mix of different services to their clients. These include technology services such as R&D, provision of lab facilities, testing, and validation. Digital innovation hubs also provide other embedded services, including business development, business support, finance, and skills development. They also provide innovation ecosystem support services, including lobbying, brokerage, knowledge-sharing and advocacy. DIHs support organizations that aim to make businesses more competitive by speeding up the development and uptake of digital innovations. They provide these services close to the end-users (“at working distance”) and thereby cater to the needs of agricultural producers, food processors, and other actors in the value chain within a specific region. [93] At the initial stage, PSSA should conduct a needs assessment to identify gaps between what the DIHs deliver and what the agriculture actors need and to provide direction to close those gaps. In this way, the DIHs can take the role of “Smart-AgriHubs”, providing the farming community with actual demand-driven services. This will increase the utility of the DIHs to the sector in general and to the input and technology distribution ecosystem specifically.
3.9. INTERVENTIONS TO PROMOTE
YOUTH UPTAKE OF DIGITAL
TECHNOLOGIES
3.9.1. Strengthen the coordination among key players/ actors operating in the agriculture digital space
PSSA should consider collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture in establishing a digital agriculture desk to coordinate the agriculture-based digital technologies activities country-wide. The coordination efforts should adopt a “strategic” and “systematic” view for unveiling new opportunities for youth employment on a continuous basis. The facility should consolidate all digital tools through a common platform. Furthermore, a common M&E audit tool should be established to oversee good practices in data collection, analysis and dissemination among digital actors/players. There is also a need for digital agriculture maps in Tanzania. This is particularly critical because, currently, the agricultural land is demarcated. The first step to this effect is to update the Land Policy, which is fairly outdated. The revisions should incorporate provisions for agricultural land. The next stage is to digitize them and also develop satellite images. The above efforts should go line in line with the development of infrastructure to enable effective digitization. This includes, for example, upgrading communication infrastructure (marine and terrestrial) all the way to remote areas so that the services can be deployed. There is also a need to “incentivize” local manufacturers to assemble smartphones locally to increase access and use by small farmers and other users in the lower income bracket. Currently, the imported smartphones are expensive for these kind of consumers
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Youth Enterprise Policy Analysis Report
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