From 28 – 29 April 2026, BIC Africa hosted the first edition of its Boot Camp for Tanzanian business incubators in Zanzibar. The two-day boot camp opened with welcoming remarks from Daniel Gonzalez Levassor from the Delegation of the European Union to the United Republic of Tanzania and the East African Community (EAC), and Robert Sanders, BIC Africa Team Leader.
The boot camp organised by EBN in collaboration with GIZ Tanzania and East Africa Community (EAC), and the Tanzanian Hubs Network (THN), brought together 23 participants representing 19 organisations, including 14 business incubators, and 5 startup and innovation hub associations, economic empowerment agency and chambers of commerce. The participants joined from across the Zanzibar archipelago – Unguja and Pemba and from mainland Tanzania, including Tanga and Dar es Salaam.
The first day began with introductions and covered three core modules focusing on Business Incubation Models – insights, approaches, and lessons learned including co‑creation sessions – using the Business Model Canvas and Orbit Planning Model on developing partnerships – followed by a plenary discussion. The second day opened with a recap of day one and continued with a deep dive into the two modules on managing a business incubator and sustainable financing.
This experience will contribute greatly to strengthening and supporting innovation and entrepreneurship within our community.
Mudathir Salum Ali, Instructor and Assistance Hub Coordinator at KIST
Grateful for the opportunity to learn, connect, and represent our hub (Karume Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) in this important programme.”
Across the two days, participants gained new knowledge, skills, and perspectives on best practices in incubator management. Sessions included group work, presentations, and hands‑on exercises designed to refine their concepts and strengthen their operational approaches. This also created valuable networking opportunities, enabling participants to benchmark their ecosystems, organisations, exchange experiences, and build synergies with key actors such as the THN, Zanzibar startup associations, and chambers of commerce. These connections will help foster stronger partnerships, coordination and enhance the impact of business incubators across the country.
I am grateful for the insights gained, the meaningful connections established, and the opportunity to contribute to ongoing ecosystem development efforts.”
Fatma Mkota, Incubation Manager at Smart Lab
The Boot Camp was facilitated by Dr Lorraine Morley from St John’s Innovation Centre (UK) and Carolina Turcato from EurA (Portugal), both experts from the EU|BIC community member organisations. Their expertise contributed to strengthening local business support organisations and advancing the Tanzanian entrepreneurship and startup ecosystem.
It was a delight to work with such a motivated, engaged and smart group of people representing the Tanzanian Incubator ecosystem. The bootcamp demonstrated the ambitious and vibrant present and future potential of African entrepreneurship and innovation.”
Dr Lorraine Morley, Lead Trainer from St John’s Innovation Centre (UK)
We extend our sincere appreciation to all participants for their commitment, and to the expert facilitators, the EU Delegation to Tanzania and EAC, GIZ Tanzania and EAC, and the THN team for their essential support in making this first edition a success.
Building on the boot camp in Zanzibar, a second and final edition of the boot camp will take place in Dar es Salaam in June 2026. It will focus on key themes including Business Mentoring, Working with Corporates, Deals and Financing for Incubator Clients, Monitoring, and Evaluation. It will continue to feature teamwork‑based activities, collaborative exercises, and peer‑to‑peer learning to further strengthen the capacity of Tanzanian business incubators who have not participated in the first edition.
