This Week in Tanzanian Tech [May 12–18]
Climate innovation, fintech growth, and venture building
1.
On May 15th, 2024, Sahara Ventures hosted the ClimAccelerator Tanzania Demo Day at the Delta by Marriott Hotel in Dar es Salaam. Irish Aid sponsored the event, which was organized in collaboration with Climate-KIC (Europe's #1 climate innovation agency). It showcased the top ten accelerated companies in the markets of clean cooking, digital agriculture, animal feed, and sustainable land or water use.
Out of over 360 initial applications, 14 startups were selected for intensive training and mentorship, with 10 making it to the final round (according to Sahara’s Felistas Makene). The Demo Day provided a platform for these startups to pitch their innovative solutions to a panel of judges and potential investors. Below, I’ve summarized the top 5 winners in alphabetic order.
Africa Harvest uses agricultural science and technology education to improve food security and economic well-being in rural communities.
Coastal Biotech: Developing sustainable solutions for coastal communities through biotechnology.
Kilimo Maendeleo provides a digital platform for farmers to access markets, finance, and insurance.
Lima Africa transforms organic waste into high-quality, protein-rich animal feed and fertilizers.
Moto Poa produces an ethanol-based fuel gel as a clean and safe alternative to traditional cooking fuels.
Each winner won over TZS 19.7 million.
2.
Tukutech, a Tanzanian drone-as-a-service provider for farmers and miners, recently conducted a demo in Njombe (where agriculture contributes over 45% of regional GDP).
It showcased the efficiency and precision of employing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to spray pesticides and fertilisers on avocado trees. The startup believes UAVs can save farmers time and resources while reducing their exposure to harmful chemicals.
Its drones are also able to reach tall trees that would be difficult or dangerous to spray manually. This technology has the potential to considerably improve yields and farmer safety in Tanzania’s avocado production industry,
In fact, we are the third-largest producer of avocados in Africa. According to the Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA), exports reached 26,826 metric tons—or about 1,217 sea containers—valued at TZS 199.4 billion in 2023.
3.
The PesaTech accelerator has revealed its second cohort of 10 Tanzanian fintech startups. The European Union (EU) and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands are backing the program, while Anza Entrepreneurs and NMB Bank are serving as implementing partners from November 2023 to September 2024.
PesaTech provides startups with comprehensive training, mentorship, and funding to help them scale their businesses.
Sahara Ventures co-implemented Cohort 1, which featured A-Trader (digital investment), Afya Lead (micro health insurance), Bizzyn (cloud accounting), Dawa Mkononi (digital medicine payments), EvMak (embedded finance), GasFasta (on-demand cooking gas), Hatua Group (digital construction management), Kilimo Maendeleo (agri-fintech), Laina Finance (lending), Mipango App (personal finance), Remmo (digital wedding contribution), Safari Wallet (travel fintech), and Settlo (digital merchant services).
This year's cohort includes startups such as Amala (digitizing microfinances and savings groups), BizyTech (information and financial services for farmers), Shule Yetu (school management system), Simplify (online invoicing), and Swahilies (helping SMEs accept digital payments).
The accelerator is helping to strengthen Tanzania's financial technology ecosystem, which expanded from 33 startups in 2021 (UNCDF) to 48 in 2022 (TSA data).
4.
Settlo, a Tanzanian fintech startup that provides digital financial services (DFS) for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), has partnered with Vodacom Tanzania to offer free internet access to its customers.
This move aims to address the challenge of unreliable internet connectivity, which is a major obstacle for many businesses in Tanzania.
By providing free internet access via special (APN) SIM cards, Settlo is making it easier for SMEs to adopt digital solutions and grow their businesses.
5.
The KUA Africa Forum 2024, held in Zanzibar on May 18–19, brought together key stakeholders in the venture-building ecosystem to discuss challenges, opportunities, and strategies for success.
It featured panel discussions on topics such as the realities of building a fintech startup in East Africa and adapting global startup studio models to the African context.
Notable attendees included representatives from Swahilies, Airpay, LIMA Africa, UNDP, and Intuitio Ventures (a US-based pre-seed venture studio).
The event was part of Innovation Week Tanzania (IWTz) 2024, which continues in Dar es Salaam from May 21–24 at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre.