Kick-off of the Waendeleze program in Tanzania
The Waendeleze project, supported by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Tanzania, offers a training programme for women entrepreneurs in the Tanzanian agribusiness sector. Fifteen women-led agricultural enterprises are supported to scale up. This project supports promising established businesses - scale-ups - who face constraints and hurdles and require specialised support and networks to reach their potential.
Project Kick-off
On 17th November 2021, Waendeleze project was officially launched by Ambassador H.E. Wiebe de Boer together with Hon. Patrobas Katambi, the Deputy Minister of Labour, Youth & Employment from the Prime Minister's Office. ‘Waendeleze’ means ‘continue’ or ‘accelerate’ in Kiswahili, which is a fitting term as this program aims to support women in agribusiness in reaching their next step and scale-up their agribusiness. In 1.5 years time the participants receive capacity building. The training program is tailor-made to the needs of the entrepreneurs, who will receive technical expertise and learn relevant business skills. In addition, the entrepreneurs are trained in establishing mutually beneficial business partnerships for accessing finance and markets. This way, the women are supported to expand their businesses.
This program fills a gap in the current landscape of business support for female-led agribusinesses. Women-owned businesses make up a big part of the business landscape of Tanzania (estimated 54% of all SMEs), but are mostly to be found in micro and small enterprises. The business women participating in the Waendeleze project are already
showing how it can be done – and are therefore an inspiration for a lot of other women (and men). Another unique feature of the project will be to equip the participants with linkages to the Dutch market and the possibility to establish business partnerships to access international markets.
Project partners
The project implemented by Crosswise Works, Match Maker Group and Lindam, will feature a capacity building training for a select group of women entrepreneurs for a period of one and a half years. For more information about the Waendeleze project and the participating businesses, you can visit the website www.waendeleze.co.tz.
Regular updates on developments in the agriculture sector in Tanzania will be given on this website and on twitter @NLAgriTanzania. If you would like to receive our newsletter full with information about the agribusiness in Tanzania please subscribe by e-mailing us at dar-lnv@minbuza.nl.