Looking for partners in Tanga

-Just come down, and we will sort it out. It will no be the way you planned, but if you stay in touch with the goal you´re OK

Those were the words of Ruth Nesje before we came here. Ruth is the founder of Tanga International Conference Centre (TICC) together with her husband Odd Isaksson. After a couple of days here the truth in these words have been proved. Today we have met with our second tester here in Tanga, the improbable Sture Teir from Fagersta, Sweden who has been living here now for 6 years and is married to an Tanzania women. In Sweden he was on permanent sick leave for serious disk problems in his back, but here in Tanzania he is fine, and can live a good life with his pension. We showed the HiLight to Sture at the Yacht Club.

. This is great! I could sell this to my hunting partners, and I will show it to my Indian friends here in Tanga. I know a couple who are distributors. I will call them on Monday!

So Sture is sharing one HiLight with Ellen Gjelstad and David Kimea who runs Ilya tours – a tourism and safari company in Tanga. Check out their website and don´t hesitate to contact them if you want to travel this part of Tanzania, including the Serengeti and Kilimanjaro.

A second visit at the store selling Solar Panels was also very rewarding. The shop is owned by a family of Indian descent. Linda and Kristina talked to one brother yesterday but was asked to come back today. After a somewhat slow start the conversation got going with some interesting information.

-You have a unique product with some very distinct possible market segments: Safari camps, hunters are the most obvious. But we also believ that fishermen would be very interested in this product. They fish often at night using kerosene light to find octopussy and attract fish. This light would be perfect for their use. It could increase the catch (income) and save money on kerosene.

So far we have not been discouraged by one single person we have presented with the HiLight! And we have found uses we never thought of before.

Tomorrow is Sunday. At 07:30 we will leave here and get into the TICC Dhaw (traditional boat) to go out to a sandbank to relax, and do some diving. Life can be good.

Good Night from Tanga