TANZANIA TRADE DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (TANTRADE)
THE BUSINESS CLINIC
‘With strong partnership between public and private institutions, we assisted SMEs to improve their competitiveness. Our target now is to digitalize the service, to bring timely services closer to SMEs across the country.’
Latifa Khamis Deputy Director General, Tanzania Trade Development Authority
WHAT THE JUDGES SAY
‘Clear understanding of needs, matched with service design.’
‘One-stop shop approach to solving problems of SMEs, which is particularly essential in developing economies.’
‘Monitoring is well documented, with assigned responsibilities and measurement processes.’
TanTrade contributes to improving the Tanzanian business environment, aligning with a major blueprint for regulatory reform.
It categorized challenges of 1,603 business owners to understand their needs and created the Business Clinic in July 2018.
The Business Clinic provides coaching, mentoring, training and consultancy services for established small firms and start-ups.
Reaching more than 1,000 businesses across several regions, the clinic advises on quality standards, sustainable raw materials suppliers, technology/machine solutions and taxation.
It offers a mobile clinic, to extend its reach of services, and attends trade fairs. The Business Clinic serves as an umbrella for public and private institutions to offer their services. Trade experts collaborate, pooling their skills and resources, to diagnose business challenges and suggest solutions.
PRODUCER ASSOCIATIONS, SOCIAL NETWORK TOOLS
Focused networks are essential to provide targeted information.
The Business Clinic created two producer associations to mobilize efforts to meet market demand:
- the Tanzania Cassava Producers and Processors Association, involving more than 300 producers;
- the Tanzania Leather Producers Association, with more than 150 members.
Other small and medium-sized enterprises are being encouraged to join sector associations.
TanTrade finds that social media is key to getting out targeted information. It uses WhatsApp groups to communicate with agri-sector networks including grains, cashew nuts, pulses, fruits and vegetables, as well as cassava and honey producers. These groups, in turn, share valuable market information on prices and opportunities.
MEASURING SUCCESS
TanTrade systematically implements four performance measures:
- Top-line figures. The number of business clinics organized annually, the number of companies that accessed the services and the challenges identified.
- Figures for each clinic. Number of sessions and participating institutions; number of companies, size and business sector.
- Challenges. Their nature and causes, and the number of challenges resolved.
- Client feedback. This is incorporated into the Business Clinic’s services.
The team uses reports, newspaper clippings, social media messages, client testimonies, assessment questionnaires and evaluation forms to back up impact measurement.
‘The clinic enabled us to address beekeepers’ needs, linking them to manufacturers with modern honey-processing technologies such as beehives, processing and packaging machines. These were being imported at high cost. Now, they are locally available in honey-producing regions. As a result, Tanzanian honey is more competitive both in domestic and regional markets.’
Kassim Ally Beekeeping Officer, Tanzania Forest Services
‘As a small-scale beekeeper with 30 beehives, my client needed more than my supply capacity. To meet the order, I was buying from other beekeepers. I visited the Business Clinic and met the Tanzania Forest Service. They trained me with modern beekeeping practices. I was linked to a beekeeping technology supplier, and I obtained quality certification.
‘Now, I own 150 beehives, and can supply more than 10 tons of honey each month. I even managed to secure export orders in Dubai.’
Sauda Muninga SAKA ASALI, Honey Producer, Singida
TANTRADE
CONTACT Edwin N. Rutageruka Director General
ADDRESS P.O. Box 5402 Dar es Salaam Tanzania
WEBSITE www.tantrade.go.tz
VIET NAM TRADE PROMOTION AGENCY (VIETRADE)
‘We have been building up the experts’ network for Vietrade, for provincial business support organizations and enterprises. In return, the experts’ network has been building the capacity for us.’
Vu Ba Phu Chief Executive Director, Vietrade
WHAT THE JUDGES SAY
‘Interesting, effective, well-documented.’
‘Clear demand, efficient solutions.’
‘Partnerships clearly defined with key local institutions.’
‘Builds capacity of trade support institutions in a bid to equip SMEs effectively.’
NATIONAL EXPERT NETWORK FOR EXPORT DEVELOPMENT
Trade support institutions in Viet Nam have at times been under-resourced or lacked knowledge to respond to company needs. Furthermore, they focused more on short-term company promotion than on long-term trade development.
Vietrade, in response, set up a network of international and national certified trainers and coaches to boost SME competitiveness. They developed tools aligned with export policies, selected institutional partners that could deliver local trade support services, and trained them. This built a wider network, based on common needs and approaches, for Vietnamese exporters.
EXPANDING A NETWORK TO SUPPORT EXPORTERS
Vietrade assessed export needs in six sectors: fresh fruit, green tea, lychee, tuna, pangasius and pepper. After several months, 41 SMEs had refined their export development plans, with assistance from dedicated trainers. These businesses then joined the trade support network as role models.
The integrated network is live and web-based. An off-line network of trainers, coaches and consultants is available. Through the networks, SMEs can access Vietrade’s partner national and provincial trade support institutions.
EXPORT PLANNING – FOCUSING ON TRADE DEVELOPMENT
All network players realized the importance of following a thorough approach and tapping into network-level planning. Chief Executive Officers became actively engaged and made it a company-level exercise.
SMEs reformulated their export strategies using external assistance to take a SWOT approach – analysing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
MEASURING SUCCESS
The pilot SMEs participated in several international trade fairs and missions and, among them, signed 103 export contracts. Vietrade’s network of certified trainers and consultants has grown from 20 to 200.
‘The international and national consultants helped Ha Thai gain the Silver Award in the International Tea Competition in North America 2017.’
Nguyen Thi Hien Chief Executive Officer, Ha Thai Company, Thai Nguyen Province
‘Through practical coaching, VIFOCO has reviewed its package for new products. Moreover, it has changed my mindset on the importance of packaging in product development.’
Nguyen Xuan Viet Chief Executive Officer, VIFOCO Import-Export Joint Stock Company, Bac Giang Province
VIETRADE
CONTACT Vu Ba Phu Chief Executive Officer
ADDRESS 20 Lý Thường Kiêt Phan Chu Trinh, Hoàn Kiêm Hà Nôi, Viet Nam
WEBSITE www.vietrade.gov.vn
