1.
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is committed to supporting businesses that drive positive change in developing countries.
Through its develoPPP Ventures program (launched in November 2022), and with implementation support from DEG Impulse, they've just announced the latest cohort of Tanzanian startups receiving funding.
These are Medikea (hybrid healthcare), Silabu (edtech marketplace), Tembo (banking as a service), Safiri (travel aggregation), and yes:id (Know Your Customer). They will each receive TZS 274 million.
BMZ launched develoPPP in November 2022, and in 2023, it spent a total of TZS 12.3 billion in 45 portfolio companies from Brazil (1), India (1), Germany (1), Peru (1), Namibia (1), Tanzania (11), Kenya (28), and Uganda (1).
2.
Dawa Mkononi (DM), a Dar-based startup that enables health facilities (i.e., pharmacies) to order and manage medicines, has received another investment from the Small Enterprise Assistance Funds (SEAF).
This makes DM the first beneficiary of SEAF’s new Daraja Impact Fund, supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
The undisclosed funding amount comes 14 months after DM received an equity-free grant—worth TZS 250 million—from develoPPP.
After all, Dawa Mkononi recorded revenues of approximately TZS 9.5 billion in 2023. And as of January 14, this year, its B2B pharmaceutical e-commerce platform had onboarded 2,200 customers across 8 Tanzanian regions.
3.
Forbes Africa has included Calvin Usiri—CTO at Ramani—and Prisca Magori—CEO of TenTen Inc. (aka Smart EFD)—in its 2024 30 Under 30 class.
Since its inception in 2015, the list has featured over ten other Tanzanian entrepreneurs. These include Edwin Bruno of SAG (2016), Nadeem Juma of Credable (2017), Fahad Awadh of YYTZ (2018), Isaya Yunge of SomaApp (2021), and Jessica Mshama of Assumpter Digital Schools (2023).
Usiri’s Ramani is focused on improving logistics and offering credit to micro-distribution centers. Prisca’s EFD, on the other hand, simplifies digital receipt generation for businesses while directly transmitting sales reports to the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA). Despite having over 5,000 registered customers and six zonal offices, Smart EFD still holds less than 1% of Tanzania’s 3 million SMEs.
Ramani is also aiming for a slice of Africa's US$1 trillion consumer-packaged goods (CPG) market. After all, its supply chain management software processed sales of US$72 million in 2022. Thanks to customers such as the Bakhresa Group, Dangote Industries, Hill Group, Serengeti Breweries, and Tanga Fresh.
4.
Olduvai Space Center (Olspace), a Tanzanian deep-tech startup, has made notable progress towards launching the country's first privately owned satellite. Its prototype Cubesat can mimic the functions of a real flight module and gather crucial environmental data (i.e., temperature, pressure, humidity, and UV radiation).
That information from space can help researchers on the ground better understand climate change and its impact on our planet, or more specifically, Tanzania. Initial tests in the Morogoro and Singida regions have been successful.
The startup plans to share its findings publicly. Olspace's mission is also to inspire the next generation of Tanzanian scientists and engineers. Its CTO holds an MSc in Physics (University of Eastern Finland) and a bachelor’s degree in Electronics & Telecoms Engineering (Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology).
5.
Across Zanzibar, financial inclusion grew from 45% to 82% in 2017 and 2023, respectively. This advancement is attributed to the widespread adoption of mobile phone-based financial services, which has increased from 38% in 2017 to 78% in 2023. That is according to the FinScope Tanzania 2023 Zanzibar Report, which was recently launched by the UK-funded Financial Dector Deepening (FSD) programme in Bongoland.
In parallel, the number of excluded adults in Zanzibar has reduced by two-thirds, reaching 112,000 in 2023 compared to 318,000 in 2017. This is particularly noteworthy considering the 27% growth in the adult population during the same period. In addition, the increase in bank account adoption from 15% to 25% has helped to drive inclusion.
Virtually all residents (100%) live within 5 kilometers of a financial service provider (FSP). National ID (NIDA) ownership also remains high at 74%, mobile phone penetration has increased from 73% to 86%, internet access has expanded from 39% to 52%, and smartphone ownership has grown from 24% to 39%.
Over half (55%) of respondents engage in saving activities, up from 32% in 2017, while 44% borrow money, a figure that has remained relatively stable since 2017 (42%).
Also, more people in Zanzibar have tried digital merchant payments through Lipa namba (9.3%), AzamPay (2.6%), point-of-sale (POS) systems (0.4%), and QR codes (0.5%). However, monthly usage rates remain low.
6.
AzamPesa (a SIM/telecom independent e-money transfer service) has launched the PocketMoney Card, designed to help parents manage their student's spending and teach financial responsibility.
The card functions as a student ID and allows NFC-enabled payments for school-related purchases. As a result, Tanzanian parents can easily fund and track spending, while schools can make their payment processes more efficient.
Students can cash out funds at the end of the term through designated agents. AzamPesa believes the card can help students develop good financial habits and positively impact boarding education institutions.