East Africa: Ugandan wins BBC’s $2,000 award

(SomaliNet) A Ugandan, David Ssegawa, 22, was on June 27, announced winner of the Faidika Na BBC (Prosper with the BBC) competition to celebrate 50 years of Swahili service at the British national broadcaster.

Faidika Na BBC was launched in April 2007 for young entrepreneurs from the East African region including Kenya, Tanzania, DR Congo, Burundi, Uganda and Rwanda. Participants were required to make a business plan for an enterprise that could benefit people in their communities.

Mr Ssegawa beat over 5,000 Kiswahili-speaking aspirants to win a cash prize of $2,000 (Shs3.2m) that he will use to start his business. He also won a laptop.

According to reports, Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete handed over the prizes to Mr Ssegawa last week. Drawing from a major national issue of energy shortage, Mr Ssegawa proposed the alternative of making candles for lighting. Prior to the competition, he had attended a course on candle making in a bid to start the business.

\"I made an analysis of the market and found out that candles could make my dreams come true because of the prevailing load shedding,\" he says. Yet he lacked the funds to live his dream. However, being an ardent listener of the BBC Swahili Service, Mr Ssegawa learnt of the opportunity to compete and sent in his entry in April.

Four finalists were picked and were supposed to present their proposals to over 100 guests at the prize giving ceremony in Dar-es-Salaam on June 27. The three runners up were; Francis Wakara Baraka and Geoffrey Kibiki (Tanzania) and Arthur Buliva (Kenya) who received cash prizes and a mobile phone to help kick-start their business ideas.