The ATMS Project in Tanzania

AMSCO Head of Oparations East Africa Judith Lorika adressing to Journalists  yesterday at Julius Nyerere Conference Centre Dar es salaam (Right) is AMSCO Account Manager Timothy Waiharo.

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Africa, and Tanzania, in particular has experienced growth in the private sector with mushrooming of private companies. But economic development in Africa depends among other ...

things on improving the International competitiveness of African businesses. Among the important factors hindering the competitiveness of these firms is the inadequate training provided to local staff members and the difficulties many experience in identifying and attracting competent managers^[1].

To give a workable solution to the challenge facing such companies in Africa, the ATMS project (African Training and Management Services) was started. The project is the initiative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Africa. The project was initiated in 1989 and its aim was to support the growth and development of management capacity of companies in Africa so that they can enter the global market competitively, profitably, and sustainably. The project is implemented by the African Management Services Company in several countries of sub-Saharan Africa including Tanzania.

AMSCO target beneficiaries have been African businesses, particularly SMEs which it supports by seconding qualified, experienced, hands-on, professional management and related services. AMSCO also supports business member organizations and commercially operated public enterprises. ATMS Tanzania was commenced in 1990 by UNDP in collaboration with other development partners. The project is committed to ensuring that Tanzania benefits from private and public enterprise contribution in development objective. The core objective of the ATMS Tanzania is to strengthen the capacity of private companies by assisting them to develop human capital solutions that lead to wealth creation.

Promoting Economic inclusion: AMSCO has supported enterprises that provide access to market, access to finance and production aggregation as a means of enhancing economic inclusion for the low end of the market. Through interventions targeting micro finance institutions, social enterprises and linkages with large enterprises AMSCO has provided over 100,000 people with a platform for economic mainstreaming thereby contributing to poverty alleviation. Directly AMSCO supported enterprises provide employment to 4,712 people in jobs that fit the decent work United Nations standards as per the independent evaluation report released in 2016.

Promoting new products: AMSCO supported the setting up of the first medical insurer, the first leasing company and the first debit/credit cardissuance in Tanzania, by providing the critical technical skills required in developing, & promoting these products. Today these sectors offer thousands of jobs and offer critical services to the nation.

Promoting investment:By providing competent experts to new businesses seeking to set ups operations in Tanzania and supporting the same with training of local staff, AMSCO have been actively promoting investment into Tanzania. Recent evaluation shows that in the last 5 years over US$ 60 million as been invested in Tanzania by both new businesses and expansion of old businesses supported by AMSCO. AMSCO Managers have played a central role of helping to fund raise for some of these companies. The project has also helped to increase profitability and tax contribution of the beneficiary enterprises with 2013 figure indicates an average 89% increase in tax contribution