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"The only true law is that which leads to freedom," Jonathan said. "There is no other." - Jonathan Livingstone Seagull , by Richard Bach

So I've been thinking of some ideas that could become spin-offs from Vijana FM . Two such ideas that have consistently been on my mind: 1. A database for unpublished academic working papers, similar to JSTOR , but free to use and contribute to, and targetted towards East African scholars. 2. An open-source curriculum for entrepreneurship education, customized for primary, secondary and tertiary levels, and further developed by respective interest groups. Just had to throw that out there. Still contemplating, but getting the feeling I'm running out of time. Drop me a line if you're willing to help [once again, his pleas on his blog echo against the depths of virtual alleyways created over 4 somewhat quiet years]; I might be doing work on this very very soon. Carpe diem, ak PS: Wallpaper above from Wallpaper Stock .

This has probably been true for about 40 years now, but there is a lot going on in Tanzania, both in the public policy realm and in the private markets. For at least the last 4 years I have been poising myself to return and start something new, something fresh, that I could someday call a project of my own. But it seems every time I am "about" to begin something, it requires a process that leads up to another kind of beginning. It feels like I'm on a football pitch, and no matter how fast I run towards the opposing team's goal, it seems to get further. Perhaps the journey isn't about a start and a finish. I need to learn to appreciate that the process is a start and a finish, an ignition and the flame, a push and a pull in and of itself. It is all one, and we are right in the thick of it. So what better time than now, right?

The sun is hidden sometimes, yet it enlightens the world. Even when it is in full view, it is so bright that it's blinding. Sound like knowledge? PS: This was a blissful evening in Cairo just over 2 weeks ago.

“You will begin to touch heaven, Jonathan, in the moment that you touch perfect speed. And that isn’t flying a thousand miles an hour, or a million, or flying at the speed of light. Because any number is a limit, and perfection doesn’t have limits. Perfect speed, my son, is being there.” (Image from 3.dp , quote from Jonathan Livingstone Seagull by Richard Bach)

We like blowing whistles and pointing fingers in Tanzania, especially at the government. Even here on Vijana FM, we have had heated discussions about who is to blame for what. We have also discussed the importance, however, of getting off the bench and into the thick of things, so that at the very least, we can feel what it is we complain about. One way in which we as young citizens can get off the bench and onto the playing field is by thinking of Public-Private Partnerships. What are Public-Private Partnerships? A Public-Private Partnership, also known as PPP or P3 or P 3 , is a contract between a government and a private-sector entity or group of entities to deliver a good or service through a long-term project. The collaboration between the public and private sectors may result in three possible scenarios: The government may make the initial capital investment to get the project, good, or service started, while the cost of running the project, good, or service is bar...

Is forging a common economic platform encouraging productivity at the cost of employability? The five East African Community (EAC) countries - Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania – ushered in a common market as of July 1 st , 2010, a project that has been expanded from the existing customs union. A common market is built in hopes of creating free movement of goods, services, capital, and people within the constituent states as one region. As seen with other economic integrations such as the European Union, a common market is the precursor to a common currency, which in turn is a significant prerequisite to a common political platform. The good news is that the EAC stands to become more competitive on the international stage. Its combined Gross Domestic Product is about $75 billion, which is just under a quarter of South Africa’s GDP, and trade with neighbors like Sudan, Congo, and Ethiopia will be easier with a consolidated market. While local businesses have already had an...