Abstract:
Dar es Salaam Tumaini University (DarTU), formerly known as Tumaini University, Dar es
Salaam College (TUDARCo), in its strategic plan 2020/21 – 2024/25 focuses on innovation and
entrepreneurship in the growth of developing nations like Tanzania, especially in creating an
informed and responsible citizen by preparing students for personally rewarding and socially
helpful jobs. This focus is rooted in its understanding on how entrepreneurship and innovation are
crucial forces behind economic expansion. In achieving this, DarTU, through the School of
Business Studies (SoBS), Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship, established two
courses; MGMT 225 Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development; and MGMT 311
Harnessing Entrepreneurship and an Innovators Mindset. These two modules are taught to students
in all Schools at the University. One of the focus of this course is to enable students to come up
with business proposals that promote environmentally-friendly business, to address the sustainable
development goal (SDG) 8; Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full
and productive employment and decent work for all. Special focus was on target 8.1 Sustainable
economic growth, and target 8.6 Promote youth employment, education and training. This paper
presents the top five businesses that adequately focused on environmentally-friendly business. The
paper employs a descriptive research design, and selects the top five, out of 205 business model
canvases which focused on environmental sustainability. Businesses were rated according the
Canadian Youth Innovation Fund (YIF) criteria for environmental inclusion in a business model
canvas. A discussion follows the presentation, where it shows that these businesses, among other
things, innovative ways of cleaning plastic waste, restore health to water ecosystem, create
businesses that add value to waste and re-use paper instead of throwing it away after use. The study
recommends other higher learning institutions to adapt the methods of teaching and including
environmental aspects in teaching innovation and entrepreneurship courses to their students. |
