What people said and what happened in the rooms of Innovation Week Tanzania, taken from the IWTz Daily newsletters and the official IWTz2026 report.
“Innovation must be integrated into education, employment and entrepreneurship, not as an add-on, but as a comprehensive and complementary strategy to transform the Tanzanian economy.”
Elke Wische, UNICEF Representative in Tanzania · IWTz2025 report
Each story links to the session where it was told.
The Tanzania Innovation Nexus was launched on Day 2 with support from FUNGUO and the Swiss Embassy. The platform connects startups, support organisations and funders, with an interactive ecosystem map, smart matching between startups and funders, and impact measurement tools.
Read it in IWTz Daily →The DIRA 2050 Media Innovation Challenge awarded TZS 5 million to its winners, with Mwananchi Communications offering platform access and mentorship. Winners announced at the session included Musoma News Hub and KIJANA INNOVATE HUB.
Read about the session →More than 300 young people joined Vijana na Dira 2050. Youth Development Minister Dr. Joel Nanauka said Dira 2050 wants a society that embraces continuous learning, and wants young people to take part in production and manufacturing, not only trading and selling.
Read about the session →Harvey Kadyanji, CTO of Black Swan, turned raw transaction records into a working analytics dashboard in six minutes. He then warned what AI still lacks: taste, tribal knowledge, knowing what to build and knowing when it is wrong.
Read about the session →In a session on inclusive insurance, Christopher Mazali presented Mwani Salama, parametric insurance for 20,000 seaweed farmers in Zanzibar. Tanzania's insurance penetration stands at 2.11%, and the regulator has introduced a sandbox to test innovations.
Read about the session →At the Ifakara Innovation Hub session, Dr. Noni Tindigwe introduced Bagazi Gauze, an eco-friendly wound dressing made from banana fibres. Maganga Mabula presented Mnyama Check, an app that connects livestock keepers to veterinary doctors.
Read about the session →Tanzania's fintech sector has grown from 33 startups in 2021 to 171 today, though scaling remains difficult. Speakers said banks often view early fintechs as too small or too risky, while Tanzanian fintechs are expanding into regional markets such as Kenya and Uganda.
Read about the session →FUNGUO unveiled its fifth cohort: fourteen Tanzanian-owned, post-revenue enterprises selected from 2,660 registered applicants across priority sectors, as the programme marked five years since its launch.
Read about the session →“The question now is whether our innovation ecosystem has the capacity to take innovation to the market with the speed required.”
“A trillion-dollar economy is an ambition not to be taken lightly.”
“If the foundation isn't built correctly, everything will be wobbling.”
“We are setting a very important point in our history, to witness something that we believe will move us forward.”
“A nation with a weak media is a nation that is bound to fail.”
“Ideas are not scarce, but founders who can execute them are.”
“Blindly accepting AI code is irresponsible.”
“Don't be afraid. Use it to simplify your art.”
“Technology should not replace our thinking. Users have solutions; ask them before creating the tool.”
“Communities are not only victims of climate change; they are also innovators and solution-builders.”
“Artificial intelligence is forcing us to rethink how we create, capture and defend value.”
“If you continue to use these [antibiotic] drugs the way you are, one day they won't work.”
“Those labels might hold true at the beginning, but they are not permanent.”
“The future belongs to us, but for us to own it we need to learn, adapt and innovate.”
“Let's stop talking about empowering youth and let's create ecosystems.”
Films play from YouTube when you select them.