Entrepreneurs in Iringa Region encouraged to participate in 'Wezeshwa na Safari Lager'

By Prosper Makene

Iringa region TBL sales manager Philip Kubecha (R) and Tanzania Association of Professional Business Development Service Providers (TAPBDS) Business Expert, Masudi Kandoro (2nd-L), brief journalists on TBL�s �Wezeshwa na Safari Lager� season four in Iringa region on Saturday.

The Tanzania Breweries Limited (TBL) in Iringa Region has called on small scale entrepreneurs in the region to take part in this season’s ‘Wezeshwa na Safari Lager’ programme, which seeks to boost small scale businesses.
The programmes’s season four was launched on Saturday.

Iringa Region TBL sales manager Philip Kubecha told reporters in a press conference that the brewer has set aside 220/- million as supporting funds for small businesses countrywide of which 120m/- will be disbursed to Iringa entrepreneurs.

 “TBL through its “Wezeshwa na Safari Lager” will this season empower small scale entrepreneurs countrywide through a 220m/- worth of equipment. This is yet another opportunity for entrepreneurs to boost their small businesses,” he said.

 For his part, Tanzania Association of Professional Business Development Service Providers (TAPBDS) business expert, Masudi Kandoro, who was tasked by TBL to impart business skills to entrepreneurs, said that TBL has scaled up its support to small scale businesses by 10 percent from 200m/ grant in season to 220m/- in season two.

 In season one and two, Safari Lager Wezeshwa spent 400m/- on 102 small scale entrepreneurs in the country to improve their businesses.

 “Wezeshwa na Safari Lager programme is part of TBL’s corporate social responsibility to support local communities in the localities in which the beer brewing firm operates, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs) so as to increase their productivity and income at large, in this season four
According to Kandoro, in season one and two, the brewer received about 20,000 applicants but anticipates a bigger number in season four.

 He said all entrepreneurs from all regions countrywide are invited to apply to the programme by filling forms that are available in all TBL deports, or at TBL factories.

TBL’s “Wezeshwa programme was officially introduced in 2011to help small and medium entrepreneurs to improve their business operations through provision of working equipment.