Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) in collaboration with InfoDev established Dar Teknohama Business Incubator (DTBi) which is hosted at COSTECH. DTBi aimed to serve as a hub for technology start-ups and actively identifies and provides for the value-added services required to support incubator. Since its establishment in 2011 a total of 29 ICT based solutions (innovations) from 27 incubates
(both residential and virtual) were commercialized through different arrangements and agreements with private entities and government departments. Out of which 559 direct and more than 16,000 indirect employments were created.

Recently DTBi-COSTECH in collaboration with MCC/PEPFAR launched a project on data usage innovation challenge. With financial support from PEPFAR and technical support from DTBi to innovators who won the challenge a total of 20 innovations were created by Tanzania graduates covering the areas of health and education to adolescent girls and women. These achievements were realized through different business development support from DTBi – COSTECH. Among the support functions provided including but not limited to the following: Business development support; channeling new innovations into the market; Access to finance; Training and information provision; Mentoring; Networking; Physical resources.

 

The important point to be noted is that the success of the above services was attributed by the invisible qualities of the collaboration between DTBi and a Government body (COSTECH) mandated for promotion of STI in the country. Examples of successful innovations from DTBi include: protected and commercialized number of technologies like; CAS through TCU, V-Somo e-learning platform used by VETA , TiGo Back-up through TiGo, TANESCO – TANESCO-HUDUMA, Maxmalipo (TRA, LGAs, TANESCO etc), MRECOM throgh LGA, Twende technology and Wezesha. Thus, to make sure that this experience is sustained and majority of Tanzania are benefiting, COSTECH in collaboration with DTBi decide to pilot a model of virtual business incubator in partnership with Local Government Authorities in Mwanza Municipality and this effort will be widened to other parts of Tanzania.