Catalysing and Scaling Innovation In Tanzania

CATALYSING AND SCALING Innovation in Tanzania: A review of approaches • (Annex) Support mechanisms
5. (ANNEX) SUPPORT MECHANISMS
5.1 Some innovation support
mechanisms present in
Tanzania
Tanzania has a growing number of organisations that provide
support to entrepreneurs and early stage start-up businesses.
Most of these organisations are broadly referred to as ‘hubs’. x
These hubs can be divided into three categories in terms of
organisational development and focus:
More professionally run hubs with a budget, advisory
boards, a technology or sector focus, and at least some
full-time employed staff. Some are part of international
organisations (e.g. Seedspace), and many are supported
by corporates (e.g. Vodacom/Smart Lab) or receive some of
their income from donor projects (e.g. Sahara Accelerator).
More informal, community-driven hubs that focus on skills,
employability, and human and community development
such as RLabs Iringa and Mkwawa Community Art Space.
Non-independent hubs either owned and run by
parent organisations such as universities (e.g. MUST ICT
Solutions and Innovation Centre (MIIC), government
(COSTECH and Buni), or UN organisations (including
the World Food Programme Tanzania and the WFP
Innovation Accelerator).
Table 1 Types of hubs based on their target group and offering xi
Hub type Definition Examples
Makerspaces
Business incubators
and accelerators
Co-working spaces
Living labs and
social impact hubs
University hubs
Donor programme
hubs
Offer technology or machinery to help the innovators and
local community experiment with making physical
products. They may have tools ranging from woodworking
and welding equipment to 3D printers or CNC machines.
Focus on supporting the growth of companies with a
combination of intensive coaching, support services, and
sometimes funding. Typically, an accelerator is a cohortbased
limited time programme, and incubators have
continuous intake, but in Tanzania the names are often
used interchangeably.
Focus on the shared workspace and related services such
as the internet, printing, meeting space, etc. Some also
provide training, mentoring, and capacity building.
Tend to focus on social change, capacity building, and
community-driven innovation. Some focus on the entire
community, others on certain members such as youth, or
women and children.
Target students, new graduates, or staff. Depending on the
circumstances, they may focus on technology transfer,
entrepreneurship, innovation awareness, business plan
development, and competitions.
Engage and support the broader innovation ecosystems
with specific activities to incubate, accelerate, and diffuse
innovations that positively impact their own programme
and development agenda.
STICLab
Twende
Buni 3D Lab
DTBi
Anza
Sahara Accelerator
Kakute
Seedstars
Seedspace
Kilihub
Hub255
RLabs Iringa
Mkwawa Community Art
Space
She Codes for Change
Kiota Hub
UDICTI
MUST ICT Solutions and
Innovations Centre MIIC
WFP Innovation Accelerator
UNDP Accelerator Lab
UNICEF Y4C Innovation Hub
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