In his mind, it’s an issue of self-confidence. “Young people need to be aware that they are able to do something. They do not have selfesteem and confidence in themselves. Many people say that agriculture is for poor people, and the farmers are exploited. We have to change this narrative and encourage young people to see that they have potential, they have promise, and they can transform this sector if they put their minds to it.”
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The cost of implementation is just so high. It’s hard to grow when there aren’t resources willing to support you to that scale where you can turn a profit. Everything is about funding and scalability”
“Technology is the playing field,” Daniel reminds us. “It’s something we all can access.” LESSONS LEARNED “The best solution is a solution that has been evolved together with the user who is encountering the pain. Then you have solved the problem.” “Many people rush into building their products without understanding the needs of the consumer,” Daniel notes. “They aren’t really listening. Every livelihood has a need. Every livelihood has a pain. There is always this pain we are looking forward to solving. But if we do not understand how exactly we are going to solve the pain, then we are not providing a solution. The best solution is a solution that has been evolved together with the user who is feeling the pain. Then you have solved the problem.” Instead, RuSokoni took a different approach that Daniel credits with their success. “We conducted interviews, tested our model, and made sure we understood the community’s needs before we focused on the issue of pricing. Then we built the team,” says Daniel. “We didn’t do it the other way around.” For any young entrepreneur, Daniel believes this approach is crucial to success: “Feedback is very, very important. For us, it has been our best friend.” n
HOW TO PARTNER • Donations of hardware and computer engineering • Local community based organisations • Technical assistance on platform development For more information on partnerships, please contact daniel.nanghaka@i-africa.net or dndannang@gmail.com. Tel: +256 772 898298
COLLABORATION WITH CTA CTA has supported Daniel through the UNITAR Innovative Collaboration for Development course on social media, which has enabled him to lead his team to support farmers and improve young people’s training needs. Earlier, CTA supported Daniel’s technical training, which was then used for the local communities in Oyam.
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