TANZANIA Private Sector Foundation (TPSF)
Executive Director, Mr Godfrey Simbeye, speaks to reporters in Dar es
Salaam yesterday about small entrepreneurs training which will be
offered by TPSF. Right is the Project Manager, Mr Celestine Mkama and
Entrepreneurs Financial Development Specialist, Mr Haji Dachi. (Photos
by Staff Photographer)
TANZANIA Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) has embarked into a training campaign for small scale entrepreneurs using simple and affordable channels to enrich their businesses.
The campaign which started in March,
comprises of teaching and educating using community and national radios
and televisions as well as workshops, mobile phones and special created
website.
TPSF Executive Director Godfrey Simbeye
said despite country wide campaign on radios, TVs and mobile phones,
coming September special workshops will be rolled out in four regions to
educate entrepreneurs on website surfing.
“The web portal (special created for
entrepreneurs) will self-tech entrepreneurs’ best business practice as
well direct them to various venues to access finance, or grants and how
to open and close businesses,” Simbeye said. He named the regions, which
will participate in the pilot project as Geita, Mbeya, Kigoma and
Dodoma which mostly are financially excluded.
The workshops mainly involves teaching
entrepreneurs to use the special created internet in browsing various
info to better their skills and marketing, financing, grant findings and
competing. The pilot phase that begins September, among other things,
will educate entrepreneurs how to use the website to access important
information.
The phase will end next February. “We
are also considering creating some centres where some computers will be
available for entrepreneurs to surf the net… “there are local investment
project we are working with local governments …we might use or link
their centres for net surfing thus make easier for entrepreneurs to
learn more,” Mr Simbeye said.
According to Financial Sector Deepening
Trust (FSDT), there are 2.7million people owing about 3.2 million micro,
small and medium enterprises, but merely 10 per cent of these access
formal finance.
However, TPSF, MSMEs Information
System—Project Manager, Celestine Mkama said those who failed to access
the website they still can get information through mobile phone text
messages or radios and televisions.
The best feature of the project is that
all questions asked during radio and TVs programmes or during workshops
would be uploaded on the website. “This makes easier for stakeholders to
follow up. And on top of all it is free of charge,” Mr Mkama said.
A Consultant on Entrepreneurship and
Economic Development, Mr Haji Dachi estimates there are between 3.0 and
4.0 million entrepreneurs across the country of which the foundation
target to reach by various media.
“Most questions, about 45 per cent, we
are asked during the radio programme is how to open business. Since
March to date the interaction is high...and very encouraging,” Mr Dachi,
who works for Integrated Management Limited, said.
The information system is designed to be
a one stop centre for a wide range of information that small businesses
require to thrive.The system comprises of a web portal and mobile
application which are designed to enhance financial literacy and
entrepreneurship skills among MSMEs as well as improve access to
financial services and markets.
According to FSD, the main reason for
coming up with this system emanate from a 2009 FinScope research which
reveals that 12.6 per cent of entrepreneurs in the country have
computers and access to internet, 13 per cent have secondary education,
68.9 per cent have mobile phones, 30 per cent have smart phones and 92.4
per cent listen to radio
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