Dar es Salaam. The government has urged young Tanzanians to use technology to identify investment opportunities and create businesses, warning that limited financial knowledge and expectations of quick returns could undermine their participation in the economy.
Speaking at the final of the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE) Scholar Investment Challenge for 2025/26, minister of State in the President’s Office [Youth Development], Joel Nanauka, said financial literacy was essential to helping young people assess investment opportunities, understand risks and make informed decisions.
‘Our objective should be to ensure that young people do not merely consume technology but also use it to develop ideas, establish businesses, create opportunities and generate economic value for the country,’ he said.
Mr Nanauka called on the DSE, financial institutions, businesses and educational institutions to expand investment education through schools, universities and digital platforms as Tanzania pursues its Development Vision 2050.
Established in 2014, the Scholar Investment Challenge introduces students to capital markets through simulated trading, allowing them to analyse companies and make investment decisions without committing their own money.
Mr Nanauka said the programme’s value should be measured by the financial knowledge and analytical skills participants acquire, rather than winners alone.
He also cautioned against portraying investment as a shortcut to wealth, urging young people to understand the costs and risks of financial products before committing their money.
DSE Chief Business Development Officer, Emmanuel Nyalali, said the 2025/26 challenge attracted 7,883 participants against a target of 8,000. About 50,000 people have participated since the programme began. He said the initiative aimed to build an investment culture by introducing students to saving, shares and risk assessment.
‘The capital market is not exclusively for experts,’ he said, adding that it enabled companies to raise funds for expansion and job creation while providing investment opportunities for citizens.
Mr Nyalali said the exchange’s 2023-2027 strategic plan prioritised digital access, wider investor participation and new financial products. Its Hisa Kiganjani platform enables investors to access stock-market services digitally.
Figures presented at the event showed that share transactions reached Sh824.8 billion in the third quarter of 2026, while market capitalisation stood at Sh40 trillion on September 30.
Mr Nyalali said digital access needed to be accompanied by financial education to help investors use platforms safely and make informed decisions.
He urged students to share their knowledge with their schools and communities.