In a year when national attention is focused on elections, something powerful is happening on the ground in Mburahati, a neighborhood of Dar-es-Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania. A quiet but remarkable transformation is happening, fueled not by political campaigns, but by community connection, creativity, and digital innovation. Read on to meet the inspiring individuals who are shaping the new face of Mburahati — one plate of food, one dress, one transaction at a time.
by Alinagwe Mwaselela, Nyota community lead
The following presents some members from different business groups, sharing the realities of their businesses and the benefits they have gained from the Nyota Community. This reflects the current situation as of July 2nd, 2025. These members will also appear in the Encointer&Kusama short film, where they share their experiences with Kusama and community currencies.
This is an election year in Tanzania, so much of the government’s energy and investment is focused on the general election. Many community members are also involved. Some running for leadership positions, others actively supporting their political parties. As a result, it has been challenging for us to secure full participation from government representatives for our community event permits and other public activities. Nevertheless, we were able to drive real impact to our active and growing community
MoZa Cosmetics
Her name is Aisha, but she is known as MoZa. She is one of the very active members of the Nyota Community and also serves as a Jukumu Digital Community Base Trainers (DCBT). Aisha is a businesswoman who mainly deals in ladies’ accessories and cosmetics, and she is the General Secretary of the UREMBO group, dealing with cosmetics and ladies accessories.
With strong skills in communication and cosmetics, Aisha was introduced to Nyota by her mother, who was one of the original bootstrap members when Nyota first started in Mburahati. The Nyota Community has opened up many business opportunities for her. She initially started by selling cooking oil, but when it became hard to source, she shifted her focus to cosmetics.
Before joining Nyota, Aisha had a client base of around 13 to 15 people in Mburahati. Thanks to Nyota, she can now serve 20 to 40 customers in a single month.
RJ Media
He is known as Humbo, but is widely recognized through RJ Media. At 29 years old, he is a reputable member of the Nyota Community. Humbo is a media and video production expert who also works with telephone technology in Mburahati.
He has been a member of Nyota for more than a year.
Reflecting on his journey, Humbo shared:
“I joined Nyota and the Encointer Wallet on my mother’s advice, since she was already part of Nyota before me. What impressed me most was the strong collaboration among Nyota members, I saw that as a powerful market advantage to work with.”
Today, about 60% of Humbo’s customers are people he met through the Nyota Community. He is also the leader of the Media & Electronics Group, which has more than six members, including himself.
Renata Uswazi Chips
This is Renata Chips, she is a very famous chips maker, especially for school students around Mburahati. Her business is well-supported by Nyota Members who live around her business place.
She is a member of Mavituz DeliciouZ group, which is a group of people creating tasty and healthy food including fresh juice. For her daily needs like cooking oil, rice, sugar or potatoes that she needs to make chips she goes to HESHIMU PESA YA MEZA group.
Heshimu pesa ya meza is a famous proverb in Tanzania and East Africa, which means respect the money you get for daily home use. In African culture a person has to leave a certain amount daily to his partner for home use now that money is called “Pesa ya Meza”.
She appreciates that she can buy things there with cash and Nyota. The best customers she has from the Nyota community are UREMBO group members (cosmetic and accessories), since they have their stations close by..
Before Nyota, doing business was challenging for her, especially when working with people she knew, which often led to unreturned loans from friends. Now, all of her friends are Nyota members who can easily use small amounts of cash and Nyota to make purchases.
Donosia
She could be the youngest member of the Nyota Community right now, at just 23 years old. Her name is Donosia, and she serves as the General Secretary of the Nguvu Moja Tailoring group, meaning “One Energy Tailors”. She has excellent tailoring skills and a sharp mind for learning digital tools and programs.
Although she has only been part of the Nyota Community for about four months, Donosia is already a loyal customer of the UREMBO Group and the Mavituz DeliciouZ Group. Thanks to Encointer and the Nyota community currency, she has built a network of 10 to 15 customers per week, all from within the Nyota groups.
Sakina the Tailor
This is Sakina, a tailor. In the past, it was impossible for her to have even 20 customers in a month from the same community she lives in. But just last month, the Nguvu Moja Tailoring group sold more than 40 pieces of dresses, and they are now preparing to launch another project that could reach over 100 pieces in a single month.
Mmanyema Og
Her name is Amina, also known as Mmanyema Og. She cooks Biriani and bakes bread, selling them to the community using both Nyota and cash.
On Fridays, she now sells up to 14 plates of Biriani to Nyota members, whereas before she rarely had more than 4 to 5 customers who could afford Biriani on Fridays. Recently, she also started baking bread as a new business venture, which she sells to the community, accepting a mix of Nyota and cash.
Digital Community Building Team
The Nyota Community has had the opportunity to learn about digital currency and other related topics. They even took exams to assess their understanding. All members who passed with good marks are now part of the DCBT (Digital Community Building Team). As DCBT members, they receive bonuses for inspiring and train more people about Kusama, the Encointer Wallet, Nyota, and the broader concept of the digital economy.
