Enablis launches new entrepreneur member chapter in Tanzania

[Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 20 October 2008]
Following the launch of its office in Nairobi, Kenya in October 2007, Enablis Entrepreneurial Network announces the opening of a new chapter office in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the latest addition to its growing presence in Africa.

The launch was attended by an Enablis team from Canada, South Africa and East Africa, led by its Founder and Global Chairman, Charles Sirois. Guests included representatives from the Governments of Canada and Tanzania. The event took place at Enablis’ new offices at Mayfair Plaza, Msasani, Dar es Salaam.

The Tanzanian economy is ripe for entrepreneur development. With a GDP per capita of $1,300 according to the CIA World Factbook and the current transition from a largely agricultural based economy to a knowledge based one, there is a growing need to support entrepreneurship.

"Tanzania is the largest country in East Africa with the highest population. It offers a huge potential for growth and Enablis wants to support SME Entrepreneurs to help realize this growth. Dar es Salaam is the capital city and is only the first stop." says Moses Mwaura, head of Enablis East Africa. "Our goal is to grow the Enablis presence in 3 cities across Tanzania over a period of 4 years" Mr. Mwaura continued.

At the launch, Enablis Tanzania accredited 17 new members who through the Enablis Entrepreneurial Network, will be able to network with more than 500 other entrepreneurs across Kenya, South Africa and Mozambique, and soon in Senegal.

The SSME sector is still largely informal in Tanzania and in need of assistance to overcome disadvantages and barriers. There is high potential, however, constraints around financing and lack of business, technical and managerial skills have hindered economic growth in the SSME sector.

"Enablis is the catalyst required for employment and wealth creation in one of Africa’s poorest countries" says Enablis Founder and Global Chairman, Charles Sirois.

An independent study conducted by Research in Action in South Africa, found that 56% of Enablis’ members have reported an increase in revenue in the past year and that 66% of the members increased their customer base. Respondents also reported they had created over 1,000 new full- and part-time jobs last year. The job-creation trend within the Enablis network has been very strong for the past three years with over 1750 newly created jobs counted.

"All Enablis members have access to our online virtual member portal that will enable members to network across the whole of Africa thereby supporting each other on their road to wealth creation." Stated Paul Lamontagne, Enablis Africa Chief Executive Officer.

ABOUT ENABLIS

Enablis Entrepreneurial Network (Enablis) is a Canadian-based not-for-profit organisation that supports entrepreneurs in the developing world through its member-driven network. It is an organised and interactive network of entrepreneurs who share similar values and who believe in the importance of small-to-medium enterprises for poverty reduction and sustainable development. The result is a grouping of like-minded people drawn together by their capacity for entrepreneurship; a powerful and indigenous force for change in the developing world.

Conceived at the 2002 G8 Summit, Enablis was founded by the Canada Fund for Africa, Accenture, and Telesystem as a ground breaking private sector-led Non-Profit Organization that aims to help entrepreneurs in developing countries.

The Enablis model is to identify potential entrepreneurs in the developing world – both those with and without existing enterprises – at an early stage, and provide them with a blend of tailored coaching, mentoring, ICT skills-development and networking, as well as an innovative form of financing designed to fill the "financing gap" between the micro-credit and venture capital thresholds.

Overall, Enablis entrepreneurs have created 20,610 direct and indirect jobs since 2005 and, as it continues to grow, the organisation expects to expand its reach even further.