The Africa Franchising Accelerator Project (AFRAP) has supported 101 small and medium enterprises in Tanzania to transition from informal operations into structured, franchise-ready businesses, creating more than 3,000 direct and indirect jobs, an African Development Bank project completion mission has confirmed.
The mission, undertaken from 13 to 17 April, affirmed achievement of the $800,000 project's core objective of positioning franchising as a practical enterprise development tool to drive job creation, SME growth, and private sector-led transformation. Under the project, women accounted for more than 60 percent of supported business owners, with strong participation also from youth. Field visits during the project completion mission provided evidence of change at the enterprise level. Project beneficiaries have moved to structured, scalable businesses.
"Beyond the numbers, the project has helped us reflect on our performance, reassess our operations, and restructure for growth," said Nancy Furahini, contract and procurement officer for CNS Group, an AFRAP beneficiary that provides human resources, compliance and investment advisory services to businesses, SMEs, NGOs, and investors in Tanzania. Through AFRAP's integrated capacity building and training package, CNS Group streamlined its operations and repositioned itself for sustainable growth.
"The goal of this project is to support and nurture local enterprises to grow through the franchising model, and, to date, we have been able to capacitate and transform over 100 businesses in terms of their systems, structures and procedures," said Onesmo Ngelleshi, project coordinator at Tanzania Private Sector Foundation, the implementing agency and governing body for Tanzania's private sector.
Institutionally, AFRAP has laid the foundation for a sustainable franchising ecosystem in Tanzania. Key achievements include the establishment of the Tanzania Franchise Association (TAFRA), the development of national franchise guidelines, and the completion of a feasibility study for a dedicated franchise fund.
Consistent results across sectors and locations indicate that the AFRAP model is reliable and can be scaled. It also suggests the results can be replicated beyond Tanzania, positioning franchising as a practical tool to advance Africa's private sector and advance its development outcomes.
One way this might be achieved is through the set up or revival of national franchise associations, which would boost intra-African franchise trade and support the African Continental Free Trade Area.
"Through AFRAP, we have learned a lot about human resources and how to manage people and orders. We established a website and now I receive orders online from places like the Middle East, Hungary and customers that we didn't have access to in the past," said Shekha Nasser, CEO and Founder of Shear Illusions, a retailer specialising in beauty products, natural cosmetics, and hair care.
The project completion mission also affirmed that AFRAP has advanced Tanzania's national priorities on job creation, private sector growth, and economic inclusion. The project also aligned with the African Development Bank's strategic focus on industrialisation and regional integration.
