Dar es Salaam. Five Miss Universe Tanzania finalists will receive opportunities to study in Dubai, secure employment and own land under a Sh200 million partnership between Hexagon Properties and the pageant organisers.
Hexagon Properties Managing Director Godfrey Maduhu said the agreement was designed to turn the contestants’ platform and talents into long-term economic opportunities.
Under the programme, the five selected contestants will spend a year in Dubai studying real estate and land-related matters before returning to Tanzania for five years of employment with the company.
Each contestant will also receive a 1,000-square-metre plot in Mwasonga, Kigamboni, while the annual winner will have a house built for her.
Mr Maduhu said the initiative was intended to challenge the perception that beauty pageants are primarily about appearance and provide contestants with skills and opportunities beyond the competition.
The contestants will also take part in a social media competition on land-related topics, with the winner receiving Sh5 million.
Miss Universe Tanzania Director Millen Magese said the initiative was part of the organisation’s Prepare Beyond programme, which seeks to equip young women for life after school, their professions and the pageant.
“These beauty competitions are not about displaying clothes and beauty, but about empowering young women for their future,” she said.
Ms Magese said this was the second year of the programme, which encourages contestants to view the crown as a platform for career development and other opportunities.
