This Week in Tanzania Tech: 10 Important Headlines, 2 Startups to Watch

Hello, and welcome to the tenth-weekend edition of Atoms + Bits. It's been an exciting 10 weeks for the Tanzanian tech ecosystem! We've seen a range of developments that support the "Tanzania Rising" narrative, from startup news to academic events and government initiatives.

It's encouraging to see how far our country has come, and I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my weekly roundups. Here's to another 10 weeks of growth and success!

1. UDSM Research and Innovation Week: Showcasing the Latest Inventions and Advancements from Tanzania's Brightest Minds

Since 2015, the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) has held Research and Innovation Week (RW) to highlight competitive research results. Unit and university-wide events are held to recognize students, professors, departments, schools, colleges, and institutes for their innovative research endeavors.

The 8th UDSM RW college-level exhibitions took place on April 12-14, 2023. The theme for this year was "Impactful Research and Innovation for Socioeconomic Well-Being in Tanzania."?

The Volunteering Management System (VMS), co-developed by Harun Kimaro, was one of the showcased projects. The technology simplifies volunteer activities, making it easier to make a long-term difference and engage with communities.

Another innovative solution was Elisha Kato's award-winning LUKU-CHAP technology. His team is developing sophisticated energy meters as well as an Energy Management System (EMS) to improve energy efficiency and promote sustainable development in Africa. LUKU-CHAP is intended to correspond to the distinct energy consumption patterns of African homes, businesses, and industries.

Moses Ismail, Ph.D., Coordinator of Innovation at UDSM's College of Information and Communication Technologies (CoICT), shared his enthusiasm for the just completed UDSM Research and Innovation Week. Dr. Ismail emphasized the event's relevance as a platform for students to display their innovative goods and solutions.

Dr. Ismail underlined that, in addition to displaying their products, the Week provides an opportunity for them to learn from one another, share ideas, and push for progress. Participants get to interact with various industry actors, hear their perspectives on the current trends, and explore new prospects for collaboration through the symposium and other forums.

The event drew prominent personalities from Tanzania's research and innovation sector. They include Dr. Zaipuna Yona, Mr. Samson Mwela, and Dr. Mulembwa Munaku. "Let us celebrate the power of innovation and work together to make the future a better place for all," Dr. Ismail added.

2. Tanzania's Investment Landscape Booms in March 2023: $796M Registered Investment Value, 7,714 Jobs Expected, and More!

It's another month, which means there's a new Tanzania Investment Center (TIC) report. And who better to announce the findings than Gilead Teri, TIC's newly appointed Executive Director who has already made a significant impact?

Tanzania's investment data for March 2023 show that the country is on the right track. With 37 projects filed, the registered investment value is $796 million. These developments are estimated to produce 7,714 jobs, according to the research. Commercial real estate, manufacturing, and logistics are the top FDI (foreign direct investment) industries, whereas logistics, commercial real estate, and manufacturing are the top DDI (diaspora direct investment).

China, the United States, Mauritius, Spain, and India are the top sources of FDI. In addition, visitors to TIC's eRegulation online platform have climbed from 20,000 in January-March 2022 to 50,000 in January-March 2023.

Other indicators of Tanzania's investment landscape growth include an increase in the number of reforms implemented, increased confidence among existing investors, more domestic investors expanding their ventures, improved TIC effectiveness in serving existing investors, and an increase in the number of visitors to online platforms.

Teri insists that there is no better time than now to invest in Tanzania.

3. UNDP's Funguo Innovation Programme and Stanbic's Biashara Incubator Team up to Support Tanzania's Entrepreneurs

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Tanzania has teamed with Stanbic Bank Tanzania to assist some of the country's premier SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) and startups with investment readiness and investor engagement.

The Funguo Innovation Programme of UNDP and the Biashara Incubator of Stanbic will provide technical assistance and market connections. The collaboration will also expose entrepreneurs to potential investors and funders.

"Together, we also conducted a two-day workshop on "Fundamentals for Capital Raising for Startups and Early-Stage Businesses," said Stanbic's Kai Mollel, "as the first of many interventions that we want to perform for our SMEs and Funguo's investee portfolio."

4. Jumanne Mtambalike's First Book Offers Insights and Best Practices for Building African Innovation Ecosystems

Jumanne Mtambalike's debut book, Diary of an African Hub Manager, was launched on April 14, 2023. The event was attended by dignitaries such as Amos Nungu, Director-General of the Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), where it was held. Jumanne participated in a TV show to promote the book ahead of the COSTECH launch event.

Amazon and Tunzaa now sell The Diary of an African Hub Manager. You can obtain your copy for 75,000 TZS. Pay in full immediately, or save with Tunzaa's African-friendly payment model, which starts at 1,000 TZS! For non-techies, visit an Elite Bookstore? near you to get your copy.

5. Zanzibar Pioneers Blue Economy Research Infrastructure with SUZA and COSTECH Partnership

On 11th April 2023, the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA) conducted the launch ceremony of the COSTECH-funded Blue Economy Research Infrastructure Project. The event took place at SUZA's Nkrumah Campus in Unguja, Zanzibar.

Hon. Hemed Suleiman Abdulla, Second Vice President of Zanzibar; Hon. Ali Abdugulam, Deputy Minister of Education and Amali Zanzibar; Prof. Makenya Maboko, Chairman of the COSTECH Commission Board; Dr. Amos Nungu, Director General of COSTECH; and Prof. Mohd Makame, Principal of SUZA College attended the event.

The blue economy of Zanzibar refers to economic activities that take place in and around Zanzibar's maritime and coastal settings. Fishing, aquaculture, marine transportation, tourism, and renewable energy are examples of these activities.

SUZA, the Zanzibar Ports Corporation (ZPC), the Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries (UVUVI), and the Zanzibar Fisheries and Marine Resources Research Institute (ZAFIRI) are Project institutional partners. On the sidelines, Hon. Minister Ali Abdulgulam complimented Dr. Amos Nungu for obtaining funding so soon after the Project's inception.

The Blue Economy Research Infrastructure Project has the potential to contribute to the growth of the blue economy sector in Zanzibar, create new jobs, and enhance the livelihoods of those who rely on it for a living.

6. Tanzania and South Korea Forge New Partnership to Exchange Reporters and Collaborate on Content Creation

Mpoki Thomson, The Citizen's managing editor, revealed on Friday that their parent company, Mwananchi Communications Ltd (MCL), had inked an agreement with a Korean daily.

The deal, according to MCL, encompasses a variety of areas of partnership, including bilateral cooperation, material sharing, cooperative content production, and reporter exchange programs.?

Tanzania's ambassador to South Korea, Togolani Mavura, suggested The Citizen as The Korea Times' favored newspaper for their entry into Africa. As a result, Tanzania has become the first African country to work with a South Korean media company. The Korea Times has comparable agreements with China, India, Hong Kong, Oman, Qatar, Nicaragua, Jordan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. The primary purpose of this collaboration is to share true stories from Tanzania and Africa with a worldwide audience, According to MCL.

MCL's Managing Director, Bakari Machumu, and Korea Times President and Publisher, Oh Young-jin, hosted the ceremonial memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing online.?

7. Tanzania Embraces 'Smart Card' Technology for Multi-Purpose National IDs

The Ministry of Home Affairs is creating National Identity Cards with 'Smart Card' technology through the National Identification Authority (NIDA). The new ID card includes a 'chip' that allows it to be used for several reasons.

The smart ID may be used as an E-Wallet, allowing Tanzanians to undertake financial transactions with their national identity cards. It can also be used for health insurance services and as a voter ID. These functions are especially beneficial for citizens who do not have access to regular financial and health services.

The introduction of smart card technology for national identity is a significant step towards improving the efficiency and accessibility of government services in Tanzania.

8. Tanzania Takes Step Towards Fostering Innovation in Financial Technology with New BoT Sandbox

The Bank of Tanzania (BoT) has issued the Regulatory Sandbox Regulations 2023 for public feedback till April 15th, 2023. "This is a good step for Tanzanian Fintechs," SSC Capital CEO Salum Awadh said.

A regulatory sandbox is a controlled environment in which businesses, particularly fintech startups, can test novel products, services, or business models without being exposed to the full range of regulatory regulations. The sandbox enables the Bank of Tanzania to monitor and analyze the impact of innovative financial products and services in a secure and controlled environment.

Tanzania Startup Association (TSA) created the national framework for regulatory Sandbox from 2021 to 2022 in collaboration with the Tanzania ICT Commission, Bank of Tanzania, COSTECH, Sahara Ventures, and UNCDF Tanzania.

9. Introducing Sarufi: The Platform Simplifying Chatbot Development for African Languages

"After months of hard work," Sarufi has announced the debut of their freshly redesigned conversational artificial intelligence (AI) platform. Neurotech, Tanzania's leading AI firm founded in 2021 by Kalebu Gwalugano, is developing the platform.

Sarufi's mission is to make natural language processing tools available to African language creators, independent of prior knowledge with machine learning or NLP. Sarufi provides a uniform API that facilitates the building of chatbots and other conversational experiences to fulfill this aim.

While the platform is initially focused on chatbot development, the Sarufi team intends to gradually expand its features to include help for other NLP tasks. "We began our journey by developing a platform that makes it easier for developers to create chatbots or conversational experiences," Kalebu explained. "However, we look forward to supporting all types of natural language processing tasks via this API, one step at a time."

The redesigned Sarufi user interface (UI) provides an easy-to-use platform for creating chatbots and conversational experiences in African languages such as Swahili, Kinyarwanda, and Luganda. The previous version, which was released seven months ago, lacked a user interface (UI) and a dashboard, but Neurotech used feedback from over 200 active developers in local communities to improve the current platform.

The new Sarufi includes a sophisticated no-code builder, interactive components, multimedia support, type validators, live test mode, webhook connectivity, and one-click website deployment. The platform also provides extensive channel integration capabilities for chatbot operation across several platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram. In addition, developers can use conversation history to track user engagement with their chatbots.

African developers can join the growing user community and try out the new Sarufi UI by visiting Neurotech Africa's website.

10. Founder of Tanzanian Fintech NALA Speaks at 9th Africa Fintech Summit in Washington DC

Benjamin Fernandes, Founder and CEO of Tanzanian cross-border payments startup NALA, spoke on a panel at the Africa Fintech Summit in Washington.

He spoke on the nature of cross-border payments in Africa and how NALA is actively working to eliminate friction points in the cross-border movement of money and remittances into and out of the continent. "Africa has the world's greatest dollar shortage," Fernandes said.

The 9th Africa Fintech Summit (AFTS) was held in Washington DC on April 12th, 2023, on the sidelines of the World Bank/IFC Spring Meetings, which took place from April 10th to April 16th, 2023. The event was held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

AFTS2023 featured startup showcases, thought-provoking panel discussions, a keynote address and fireside chat, and the Annual Excellence In Fintech Awards ceremony.

Startups To Watch

1. Kyaro: An Arusha-based capped-profit assistive technology designer and manufacturer.

2. RiceAfrika TZ: A provider of technology-driven agric optimization services now working with smallholder rice farmers in Tanzania's Southern Highlands.

Bonus

MipangoApp, a Tanzanian fintech, is thrilled to be supported by the inaugural Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders Africa Programme.

Mipango has developed a personal finance app that employs AI technology specifically suited for the African market. The platform enables users to successfully manage their finances by allowing them to make smart spending decisions using e-wallets, special budget or goal wallets, and transferring money between wallets.

Conclusion

That's all for this week's tech news; we'll meet again next Saturday. Also, keep an eye out for my weekly column, Silicon Bongo, which is published every Tuesday in The Citizen newspaper. It provides a more extensive examination of the Tanzanian startup ecosystem.

Thank you for your time!