AfricaPress-Tanzania: A NEW report released recently by the Human Development Innovation Fund (HDIF) has called for younger generation members to be given the opportunity to develop skills for innovation and entrepreneurship as critical aspects towards the realisation of the national development vision.
Titled ‘Catalysing and Scaling Innovation in Tanzania’, the report which was launched recently during the 2020 Innovation Week, aims to examine the range of innovation support mechanisms and programmes available in Tanzania.
The report said the government recognises the role that science, technology, and innovation (STI) can play in finding solutions to the development and economic challenges facing the country.
It said the National Development Vision 2025 expresses the need to industrialise in order to create jobs for millions of young people to achieve its vision of becoming a middle-income country.
The report added that, Tanzania’s 1996 National Science and Technology Policy currently under review, acknowledges STI tools as key for fostering industrial development and eventually developing into a modern economy.
“For Tanzania to realise its vision, it is critical for the younger generation to be given the opportunity to develop skills for innovation and entrepreneurship,” reads part of the report.
It said universities could play a stronger role in this… Innovation does not feature strongly in the curriculum, and technology transfer from research to innovation is not yet very common.
Universities are starting their own hubs to support entrepreneurship, but like other hubs, they are still in the process of finding their individual ways of working.
The report says in an early-stage ecosystem, hubs play a crucial role in incubating and accelerating innovative ideas and building entrepreneurship skills.
It further said that, in Tanzania, new hubs are popping up every day: whereas in 2011, Buni Hub, Kinu Hub and Mara Space were the three main physical spaces that provided support to entrepreneurs, there are now more than 40 hubs across the country.
Local, community-driven initiatives, such as Sahara Sparks 6 and Smart Lab that provide support to start-ups and connect them with the private sector have emerged.
However, it said that, despite the proliferation of new hubs, many of them struggle with generating cash flow and a sustainable business model to support their activities, adding that, at the same time, the services that they provide are not always well aligned to the needs of the start-ups, and the public and private clients they serve.
“Many hubs focus on providing business support to small and medium-sized enterprises and individuals to help commercialise their ideas. Less attention is given to the convening role they could play in bringing the different innovation stakeholders together and facilitating connections to funders and investors to create a conducive environment for any innovation to thrive,” reads part of the report.
The report further stated that, there is a growing number of stakeholders who are ready to support innovation in Tanzania, including angel investors, donors, venture capitalists, foundations, the private sector, and the government.
It said the telecom sector is a champion of innovation and continues to build on the success of Mpesa, the market disrupting mobile phone-based banking service that was launched in 2007 and quickly grew to reach more than 10 million customers in just a few years.
It further said that, the government also plays a role through the Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) as it manages the National Fund for Advancement of Science and Technology (NFAST) which, until recently, largely funded research.
