Project profile — Local Enterprise Development

• Tanzania (100.00%)

• Banking And Financial Services: Informal/semi-formal financial intermediaries (24040) (20.00%)
• Business And Other Services: Business support services and institutions (25010) (20.00%)
• Industry: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) development (32130) (60.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (significant objective)
• Participatory development and good governance (not targeted)
• Trade development (significant objective)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

The project aims to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to secure contracts for the provision of goods and services to businesses working in the agricultural, mining and gas sectors in Tanzania, with attention to the additional challenges faced by women-led SMEs. Focusing on four regions (Lindi, Mtwara, Lake Victoria and Iringa/Njombe), the project seeks to create 2,500 new jobs and to ensure more market-driven and gender-responsive business development services to SMEs by selected institutions, benefitting up to 1,760 SMEs. Project activities include: (1) providing experts to offer hands-on coaching and mentoring to SMEs; (2) establishing mentoring relationships between Canadian/international firms and 40 Tanzanian SMEs to increase understanding and application of good business practices; (3) supplying innovative technological inputs to 50 competitively selected Tanzanian SMEs to increase productivity; (4) assessing the financial readiness of 160 SMEs and facilitating linkages to potential investors and financial institutions; (5) conducting analyses on cultural and social barriers for women to grow their businesses; and (6) providing training and mentoring to local partners on how to deliver market-driven and gender-responsive business development services to SMEs. The project is implemented by Cuso International in partnership with VSO-Tanzania and works with three Tanzanian organizations: the Tanzania Women Chamber of Commerce, Small Industries Development Organization, and the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture.

The expected intermediate outcomes for this project include: (1) increased sustainable revenues and employment levels of small and medium-sized enterprises in value chains in the extractive and agribusiness sectors; and (2) enhanced market-driven and gender-responsive business development services delivered to small and medium-sized enterprises by selected institutions in targeted regions.

Results achieved as of the end of the project (March 2020) include: (1) 1,865 small enterprises (of which 1,063 enterprises were led by women) were provided with business development services, including training, advice and support to access finance, technology and new markets, through three enterprise innovation hubs; (2) 2,759 new jobs (of which 1,219 jobs were for women) were created in value chains related to foreign direct investment in the extractive and agribusiness sectors; (3) 75% of small enterprises recorded an increase in profit and 68% reported accessing new markets for their products; (4) 82% of small enterprise owners improved their skills and knowledge, and a significant majority of women owners reported greater confidence in negotiating with men and more decision making power over their businesses; and (5) three national implementing partners increased their capacity to assess market trends and design appropriate business development services, including services responding specifically to the needs of women entrepreneurs by at least 50%.

• Proactive disclosure