Catalysing and Scaling Innovation In Tanzania

CATALYSING AND SCALING Innovation in Tanzania: A review of approaches • Voices from the ecosystem
3.3 Capacity building
The various actors in the innovation ecosystem have
very different capacity-building needs. Grass-roots
innovators and entrepreneurs may benefit from such
basic skills as problem solving, pricing, and marketing,
whereas a high-tech innovation attempting to grow
or scale will need sector-specific expert support, as
well as higher level skills in business management
and leadership. Some innovations are developed by
for-profit companies and some by NGOs or other
non-profits, and the necessary skills for both vary to
some extent. The hubs need another specific skill
set; from coaching and mentoring to project and
programme management, as well as the ability to
organise capacity building for the entrepreneurs they
support. Universities might need help in building
innovation-related curricula, as well as support for
running the hubs they have started.
For many of the programmes that we interviewed,
capacity building was in some way part of the model
– as a separate activity, as part of the support, or as
an unofficial way of supporting partners. It is not
difficult to identify capacity-building needs; rather,
the challenge is to choose which ones to prioritise.
HDIF supports hubs through its ‘Institutional Capacity
Building’ activity which provides tailored support that
targets their learning needs, specifically those related
to financial sustainability, and programme or process
management skills.
“Providing a ‘right-sized’ amount of design support to
a very diverse portfolio of organisations with wildly
different projects and capacities was a challenge.”
–Grand Challenges Canada
The points made in the interviews reinforced our own
belief that capacity building or technical assistance
is a key ingredient for most innovations to succeed.
Capacity building is important for organisations
as well as individual innovators, and the success
Below
Nancy Sumari
and Barbra
Mtenvu, part of
the team at
Jenga Hub.
HDIF
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