CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
15 FUNDED ENTERPRENEURSHIP AND JOB CREATION START-UPS
IN RICE AND HORTICULTURE VALUE CHAINS IN MOROGORO, KILOMBERO AND MPIMBWE DISTRICTS, TANZANIA
- Background
Sokoine University of Agriculture in collaboration with the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) worked to co-create a five-year project under the MasterCard Foundation's funded TagDev 2.0 (hereafter referred to as the "Program"). The Program targets young people between 18-35 years old, especially young women, differently abled young people (also known as young people with special needs), and refugees and displaced youth. The Program involve collaboration with 12 primary lead African universities in 10 countries (Uganda, Kenya, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Morocco, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Malawi) and other phase 2.0 African Universities (SUA inclusive). The program focuses on scaling out and strengthening the educational capacity of Universities, Technical Vocational Education, and Training Institutes ('TVETs') to better serve communities through skilling and empowerment of Africa's young people and their institutions leading to inclusive, equitable and climate resilient transformation of agriculture and agrifood systems.
In this program, SUA is implementing the Agri-food Systems and Entrepreneurship Development in rice and horticulture Value Chain(s) in Tanzania (AGRIFOSE-RIH) project. The AGRIFOSE-RIH collaborating partners are NM-AIST, UDSM and DIT. To achieve its ambitious objectives, AGRIFOSE-RIH, hereby inviting expressions of interest from qualified youth groups to participate in co-creation of entrepreneurship and job creation start-ups in rice and horticulture value chains in Morogoro, Ifakara, and Mpimbwe districts of Tanzania.
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Objectives of the engagement
Successful youth groups will be supervised to create and/or sharpen existing business ideas and manage sustainable startups leading to creation of jobs and wealth among youth. The start-ups will focus in either of the following entrepreneurial work packages in rice and/or horticulture value chains.
i. Agriproduct processing and value addition,
ii. Innovative extension and advisory services with ICT applications
a) Pest management services,
b) Soil health and testing services,
c) Agricultural input supply services and
d) Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies
iii. Digital technology in storage and warehouse services,
iv. Harvesting and post-harvesting technologies and services,
v. Agricultural wastes recycling technologies
vi. Mechanization and irrigation infrastructure maintenance services,
vii. Agricultural product-based food services, distribution and transportation, -
General required qualifications of applicants
Applications are invited from groups of youth aged 18 -35 years currently working or registered in agriculture and allied areas across Tanzania and willing to work in the project focus areas of Morogoro, Ifakara, and Mpimbwe districts. Women only or women-led groups and groups involving differently abled persons are especially encouraged to apply. Applications are accepted from the following main groups:
a) Out-of-School youth groups with existing business ideas either at take-off or with tangible business/start up already running.
b) In-school youth with existing business ideas or running enterprises/start-ups in agriculture and allied disciplines.
All applying groups must ensure that at least 70% of their members are youth of a female gender (Young women aged 18-35). Inclusion of differently abled persons (people with special needs) in their member composition will be an added advantage. -
Specific qualifications
4.1 Action research funds for postgraduate students
In addition to the general qualification in section 3 above, the applicant must:
i) Be registered at SUA for MSc or PhD from academic year 2023/2024 or 2024/2025
ii) Submit research proposal/idea that demonstrate it can provide solution(s) to challenges in one of the project objectives mentioned above (section 2) above and be implemented or can be usable in the project implementation areas.
iii) Have recommendation letter from his/respective supervisor or HOD of the degree-hosting department at SUA
iv) Demonstrate good overall academic standing during course work with at least a GPA of 3.5 (or upper second-degree classification for MSc holders)
4.2 Entrepreneurships startups for SUA students (targeting SUA STEPS groups)
i. Be registered in SUA STEPS
ii. Possess a demonstrable and viable entrepreneurship/business idea
iii. Demonstrate a SUA STEPS group membership of at least 70% female
4.3 Entrepreneurship and job-creation startups (targeting graduates under the SUA ACCESS program or similar arrangement in other institutions)
i. Must have graduated from SUA or any other higher learning institution within the past 3 to 5 years
ii. Must demonstrate a viable business idea
iii. A previous experience of training through agribusiness incubation center is an added advantage
4.4 Entrepreneurship in Digital technology and solutions (special for DIT)
i. Must have graduated from DIT or any other TVET institution within the past 3 to 5 years
ii. Must demonstrate a viable business idea
iii. A previous experience of training through agribusiness incubation center is an added advantage
- How to apply:
I. Expressions of interests from the target groups must include:
a) A business concept note (if not yet running) or the operation model if the enterprise or start-up is already running
b) Group/enterprise membership composition
c) Business/group registration (if any) including local institutional business training and registration programs such as SUA STEPS or SUA ACCESS programs
Evidence of attendance to incubation centers/ hubs such as the BBT program or SUA's Agribusiness Incubation Center (SUA AIC) is an added advantage.
II. All applications should be sent to the Project Leader latest by close of business Wednesday 17th September 2025 at the following address:-
Dr. Hamisi J. Tindwa
TagDev. 2.0 Program Coordinator,
Sokoine University of Agriculture
P.O. Box 3000, Chuo Kikuu,
Morogoro, Tanzania
Or through email address at [email protected] and copy to the Assistant Program coordinator, Dr. Nyambilila A. Amuri at [email protected]
