Namtumbo. Residents of Namtumbo District in Ruvuma Region have described how entrepreneurship training and related support under the JUA Project – Building Capacity and Employment – has enabled them to access jobs and start businesses, improving their livelihoods.
The project is implemented by Cooperative Paesi Emergenti (COPE) and targets 5,720 beneficiaries, including 400 households, 60 companies, four public institutions and two training institutions, with the aim of stimulating economic growth in Ruvuma Region and enabling citizens to access decent and fairly paid employment.
Speaking to The Citizen on Friday, June 19, 2026, one of the beneficiaries, university graduate Jemsi Mwingira, said the training enabled him and other youths to establish a business after securing a Sh19.7 million loan from the council during the 2021/22 financial year to purchase a sunflower-processing machine.
He said the initiative later enabled them to expand the project with an additional sunflower-processing machine worth Sh33 million, creating more employment opportunities for other young people.
“Revenue from the project has enabled group members to build houses, access opportunities from private organisations, and has also helped us sell our products beyond the country,” he said.
COPE JUA Project Manager Eleonora Bolliger said the programme targets youths, women and persons with disabilities in Namtumbo District, Songea Municipality and Songea Rural District.
She said it promotes entrepreneurship skills, employment opportunities and access to education aligned with labour market demands.
Namtumbo District Administrative Secretary (DAS) Fransic Mgoloko speaks during the event held on Friday, June 19, 2026. PHOTO | JOYCE JOLIGA
Namtumbo District Commissioner, represented by District Administrative Secretary, Mr Fransic Mgoloko, said COPE has more than 20 years of experience working in Tanzania and has been implementing the project in Ruvuma Region for the past 36 months.
He said the JUA Project empowers citizens through skills training, business education, innovation, and life skills to enable them to secure employment or become self-employed.
“Genuine development is achieved by investing in people through skills and economic opportunities,” he said, urging youths, women and persons with disabilities to take advantage of such initiatives whenever they arise.
