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| Representatives of Dar Teknohama Business Incubator and Sahara Ventures exchanged signed partnership agreements during the launch of the Tanzania Ventures Lab, a ceremony witnessed by Dr. Amos Muhunda Nungu, Director General of the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology, in Dar es Salaam. |
By Charles Mkoka
A new national innovation accelerator aimed at supporting youth-led startups across strategic sectors was launched on Thursday, March 12, with organisers saying the programme will help transform research and ideas into commercially viable businesses.
The programme, known as Tanzania Ventures Lab, will be implemented through a partnership between COSTECH, its innovation arms Dar Teknohama Business Incubator and Buni Innovation Hub, and private-sector partner Sahara Ventures.
Speaking at the launch, Dr. Amos Muhunda Nungu, Director General of Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology, said the initiative marks an important step toward building an economy driven by innovation, research, and technology.
Dr. Nungu said the accelerator will support about 250 startups annually between 2026 and 2029, reaching roughly 1,000 youth-led companies over four years.
“With a population of more than 65 million people, about 70 percent of them under the age of 35, Tanzania has enormous potential for innovation and entrepreneurship,” Nungu said. “Our responsibility as government is to create an enabling environment that allows young innovators to turn their ideas into businesses and jobs.”
He said many innovative ideas generated in universities and research institutions fail to reach the market due to a lack of technical support, financing, and access to markets.
The Tanzania Ventures Lab programme aims to bridge that gap by providing selected startups with technical mentorship, business development support, and pathways to financing, including government-backed innovation funds.
The initiative will focus on six strategic sectors:- energy, mining, tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, in line with Tanzania’s long-term development strategy.
Also speaking at the event, Jumanne Mtambalike, Chief Executive of Sahara Ventures, said the programme was designed as a national “accelerator of accelerators” to identify and nurture startups capable of transforming key sectors of the economy.
Applications for the programme are open through the Tanzania Ventures Lab website, with organisers calling on innovators and entrepreneurs across the country to apply.
The programme also aims to strengthen the country’s National Venture Database, a platform intended to increase the visibility of Tanzanian startups and help connect them with potential investors.
The initiative forms part of wider efforts to promote a startup-driven economy and advance Tanzania’s long-term development vision for 2050.
