UDSM hosts conference to discuss SMEs
Dar es Salaam. The University of Dar es Salaam Business School (UDBS) has organised a two-day International Conference on African Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (ICAESB).
The conference is meant to come up with foolproof ways of improving small scale businesses to go in line with the country’s ambitious drive of an industrial economy.
The 18th ICAESB is expected to start on August 9 in Dar es Salaam with over 150 participants from nine countries from different continents attending.
This years' theme is "Entrepreneurship Industrialisation and Inclusive Economic Growth."
This was revealed on Thursday, August 2, by the UDBS dean, Dr Ulingeta Mbamba, when speaking to journalists.
He said the conference will provides a unique international forum and an opportunity for policy makers, researchers, business managers and entrepreneurs.
Besides, other stakeholders will get an opportunity to exchange views, share knowledge, experience and disseminate research findings and practical lessons in areas of small business management and entrepreneurship.
"This conference has come at the right time as the government pursues an industrial economy," he said
He said there is need to invest in SMEs because they can employ a big number of people and it an area, which can easily change depending on the prevailing environment.
Dr Mbamba added that the conference will focus on agribusiness, manufacturing and other sectors that can support the Industrial economy.
For her part, the Associate Dean from UDBS, Dr Esther Ishengoma, said there are some factors that caused SMEs to fail to develop their businesses, which include poor management and lack of focus.
"Capital has always been cited as a factor for collapse of many SMEs, but a lot of entrepreneurs seemingly do business for fun that’s why they either don’t grow or collapse altogether," she said.
