Dar es Salaam, Aug. 19 -- WHEN we think of building an SGR railway line, a massive hydroelectric dam, or a modern expressway, the first image that comes to mind is usually billions of dollars in financing, often from foreign loans, or grants. Rarely do we pause to imagine that the foundation of such mega-projects can be laid with something as humble as ten thousand shillings. Yet, history and economics both prove that great nations are not built solely on borrowed capital. They are built on the disciplined savings and investments of their own people.

The truth is simple: If ten thousand shillings is saved regularly, invested wisely and aggregated across millions of committed citizens, it can grow into the very capital that finances railw...