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More than 150 retailers in Mwanza have been trained in financial management, stock control and digital business tools as Tanzania Breweries Plc (TBL) and Vodacom Tanzania seek to help small businesses improve their operations and profitability.
The training, held in Mwanza on Thursday, is part of the Retailers Development Programme (GRIT), a two-year partnership between the companies that targets more than 24,000 TBL retailers across the country.
The programme is focused on practical challenges facing retailers, including managing cash flow, controlling costs, keeping proper stock records and using digital solutions to make business transactions easier.
For small traders, the ability to distinguish between sales, business expenses and actual profit can determine whether a business expands or struggles to remain afloat.
TBL managing director Michelle Kilpin said the programme was aimed at giving retailers knowledge and skills to manage their businesses more effectively.
She said better management of finances, stock and daily operations could help businesses improve their performance while supporting the livelihoods of traders, their families and communities.
University of Dar es Salaam lecturer Dr Patrokil Kanje, who was among the trainers, told the traders that understanding their numbers was central to running a sustainable business.
He urged them to regularly track sales, operating costs and profits instead of judging business performance by the amount of money received from sales.
A trader who records sales but does not account for purchasing costs, transport, rent and other expenses, he said, may struggle to know whether the business is actually making money.
The training also covered ways of controlling expenditure, managing stock and using financial information to make decisions on when and how to expand a business.
Vodacom Tanzania head of marketing and empowerment Joseph Sayi urged the retailers to make greater use of digital solutions in their businesses.
He said digital tools could simplify transactions, support financial management and improve communication between traders and their customers.
For retailers, he said, adopting appropriate technology could reduce the burden of some routine business activities and give them easier access to services.
The emphasis on digital tools comes as small businesses increasingly rely on electronic payments and other technology-based services to serve customers and manage transactions.
The Mwanza training is part of a wider TBL-Vodacom initiative that seeks to reach more than 24,000 retailers over two years.
The programme covers working capital and cash-flow management, stock control, customer service, business growth and digital solutions.
Rather than focusing only on increasing sales, the training encourages retailers to look at the fundamentals behind a sustainable business—how money is generated, where it is spent, how stock is managed and how technology can improve efficiency.
For the traders attending the Mwanza session, the lessons offered a practical approach to turning daily business activity into better financial planning and longer-term growth.