Calling All Tech Innovators: Help Tanzania's Farmers Go Digital

The Government of Tanzania, the United Nations, and partners are inviting tech companies to apply for a new programme that will help farmers use phones and data to grow more food and earn more money.

Today, at the Nane Nane grounds in Dodoma, the Ministry of Agriculture and the United Nations officially opened the Call for Applications for the Agritech4 Tanzania’ Accelerator. This is a special programme that will pick 10 Tanzanian tech companies that build digital tools especially for farming and agriculture (called "agri-techs") and help them build even better tools for farmers.

What is this all about?

Many farmers in Tanzania, especially women and young people, face challenges accessing essential services and information, such as loans, market prices, farming tips, inputs like seeds and fertilizers, or weather updates. Tech companies can help solve this with apps and digital tools, but they need support to grow and improve their ideas.

That's where the Accelerator comes in. The 10 selected companies will get:

• Expert coaching to make their business stronger
• Help using farm data the right way
• Support to get ready for investment and funding
• Access to new tools and partnerships

On top of this, the three companies with the strongest demos and results will be selected to receive catalytic grant funding to help them grow even faster.

Who is behind this?

The Agritech4 Tanzania accelerator is part of the Data for Digital Agricultural Transformation (D4DAT) Joint Programme, a partnership between the Government of Tanzania, the United Nations (UNCDF, FAO, and IFAD), and the European Union, which is funding the programme through the Joint SDG Fund.

The Accelerator also has support from the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT of CGIAR — an international agricultural research organization — through its Accelerate for Impact Platform (A4IP). A4IP is CGIAR's venture space, built on its research legacy to drive innovation at the nexus of agriculture, environment, and health. A4IP's support for this Accelerator is made possible with funding from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI).

The overall operations and day-to-day management of the Accelerator, including quality assurance and due diligence, coaching and business support, will be managed by DLab.

Why does this matter?

When farmers can use good digital tools, they can:

• Get better prices for their crops
• Access loans and other financial services
• Learn better farming methods
• Prepare for problems like droughts caused by climate change

This is all part of a bigger effort to help Tanzania's agriculture sector use data better, connect different systems together, and work more closely with the private sector.

How can companies apply?

Tanzanian agri-tech and fintech companies who want to be part of this exciting opportunity can apply now. Women and youth-led companies are especially encouraged to apply.

Ten companies will be selected. The future of farming is digital, and it starts here.

For more information please contact DLAB:

Email: connect@dlab.or.tz

Cell: + 255625684528

Scan to apply!