| Abstract: | The performance of Tanzanian economy amidst the abundance of natural resources, strategic
location and political stability of late has attracted more investors into the country. Unlike, the
socialist era as pronounced by the 1967 Arusha Declaration whereby private business
entrepreneurship was actively discouraged in favor of government, community-based or cooperative
owned ventures. During the socialist era, regulations were introduced to bar civil
servants, university students and leaders of ruling party from engaging in business activities.
Since all educated Africans were civil servants, this meant that, business activities were left to
Asians and those indigenous people who had no job opportunities in the civil service. Worse still,
even in public sector Tanzania’s industries were managed by semi-literate entrepreneurs as a
result by mid-1990’s almost all government-owned industries collapsed. This study adopts a case
study of Tanzanian private university towards placing the economic development and
entrepreneurship skills of self-employment, wealth creation, regional and global competitiveness
of Tanzanian university graduates. The major purpose of this study is to investigate the linkage
between theory and practice with respect to teaching and research departments/centres in both
private and public universities should act as business incubators and entrepreneurship
stimulants and how entrepreneurship education at universities inculcating to them
entrepreneurship culture. The introduction of entrepreneurship education as a compulsory
course and apprenticeship would be tenable strategies to deal with university graduates
unemployment and shaping Tanzania’s economy. Furthermore, the study recommends thorough
curriculum review, sensitization, advocacy and mobilization of support for entrepreneurship
education, funding, political will and active participation of the government should be provided
for entrepreneurship culture and development to have spiral effects. |
