The Basics of Entrepreneurship – training in Arusha & Mbeya

Project ‘Strengthening skills and training capacity in the horticulture sector’

The project ‘Strengthening skills and training capacity in the horticulture sector’ has come to an end. During four years of close collaboration, we have worked on building capacity of NACTE and 3 A-TVETs, together with our training partners on curriculum review and development, institutional capacity, entrepreneurship and a triple helix horticulture innovation platform. All subjects with extra attention to inclusion of women and disadvantaged groups in the country.

Last week, the final two trainings were given simultaneously in Arusha and Mbeya by our colleagues Alma, Fabienne and Lisa.

Training: The Basics of Entrepreneurship (Arusha – Tari Tengeru and Mbeya – Mati Uyole) given by Lisa

Entrepreneurship has been on the training agenda as one of the priority topics. However, due to the travel restrictions it didn’t take place online. After all, entrepreneurship isn’t something you learn from the books. How to convert a food product or an agricultural practice into a profitable business is a practical matter, only to be taught by experience and practice. That was exactly what the training The Basics of Entrepreneurship was all about. Together with Bridget Ijumba, our colleague Lisa worked on the development of practical entrepreneurial competences of the participants. The staff members came from different colleges and had different levels of experience and therefore the training was split up in two days in Arusha and two days and Mbeya.

The training content for both locations was the same: fostering a practical entrepreneurial mindset by means of the Business Model Canvas approach. Therefore, the first training day took place online, for all participants from all institutions. The aim of this first day was to address the importance of entrepreneurship and an introduction of the business model canvas method in theory. In this way, all participants could start off on equal footing for the practical part.

Tari Temeru TVET – Arusha

In Arusha, the training focus was on the basic principles of entrepreneurship. It allowed the participants to practice with the basics of setting up a business for the first time. Topics included: the importance of market research and what models to use, creating a value proposition that solves a consumer problem or fulfils a desire, how to gain insight in the required activities, resources and partners and the basics of bookkeeping.

Mati Uyole TVET – Mbeya

In Mbeya, the participants were more experienced with entrepreneurship. We focused on deepening the knowledge and practical skills based on their own business ideas. Apart from how to set up a business and working on the basic finances and production steps, they took seemingly ordinary business ideas to another level by heavily focusing on the ‘why’ of the business to meet consumer needs optimally with innovative ideas. One group focused on extra smooth and soft locally produced peanut butter to mitigate post-harvest loss of groundnuts, another group on the production of natural supplements for nutritional support for lactating moms and infants under 6 months. The third group focused on rice farming with extra focus on convenience (multiple varieties of rice and convenient packaging) and nutritional value (parboiled rice). The last business was an agrovet dealer that not only sells agricultural inputs with extra value in forms of offering protective gear upon purchase and education of farmers on how to use the products properly.

After the value proposition, they brainstormed on creative marketing strategies using the Marketing Mix 4P’s. We ended the training with financial management and how to make more margin without increasing the selling price of your product.

On behalf of the Q-Point team, thank you very much for your enthusiasm and active participation! We hope to collaborate again in the future.