The Government of Tanzania initiated the Business Development Gateway (BDG) program which is implemented under supervision of the Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF). The current program duration is 2 years. The BDG program started in August 2008 and will be completed in July 2010.

The BDG is a Business Education Program realized in all 26 Regions of Tanzania at the same time and implemented together with local partners in all regions. SIDO, NMB, TCCIA , ZAIN on the main land and ZNCCIA, PBZ, ZAIN in Zanzibar. One business education cycle last eight months. Two program cycles are planned during the course of the entire program duration. The competitive program design has proven its value as each business education round yields the best performing enterprising individuals and motivates them to perform the next round even better. The BDG consist of two programs, the Business Plan Competition and the Business Diagnosis Program.

During the course of an eight month program cycle, a series of business training sessions are provided to inspire, instruct and guide, but it are the participants themselves who are preparing their own Business Plans and perform their own Business Diagnosis. Based on their performance they are judged by independent judges and only the best performing persons are allowed to join the next round.

Over the last 8 months, 540 start-up and existing entrepreneurs attended a series of training and mentoring sessions on Business Plan preparations and over 1,100 existing micro and small enterprises followed a sequence of training and coaching sessions to sharpen their Business acumen and improve their enterprise performance in a competitive training environment.

Each business education round consist of training, self performance and judging. At the end of each round, cash awards are issued to the winners who are obliged to invest the price amount as seed capital in their starting or existing enterprises. Total cash awarded to winning BDG participants during the first cycle is more than 3.3 Billion Tshs. Total cash awards for the BDG Program is expected to reach 8 Billion Tshs in two years.

• Competent judges screened 540 Business Plan concepts in May 09,
• 250 BPC participants were selected who received cash grant awards of Tshs. 3 Million each. Total 750 M Tshs was disbursed during the June Grants Award Ceremonies.
• 50 winners from the first round submitted their Business Plans and went through an intensive training /judging process. They received grants of Tshs. 9 M each during the July Grants Award Ceremonies. Total 450 M Tshs.
• The 50 winners were again mentored and screened in July for selection of the 10 top winners. The BPC program culminates in awarding the 10 top winners with grants in the range of Tshs. 12-18 Million. The final award ceremony will be held at 14 August, 2009.
• A total of 1.332 Billion Tshs has been disbursed as a result of the first cycle of the Business Plan Competition during Grants Award Ceremonies which were organized in all 26 regions of Tanzania.

• Each BDP winner receives a Bonus Point Voucher with a value of 1.2 M.
• In May 886 BDP grantees received vouchers with a total value of Tshs 1.06 Billion
• Second BDP round yielded 476 grantees who received bonus points vouchers with a total amount of 571 M.
• Third round selected 237 winners who received vouchers with a total amount of 285 M.
• Fourth round selected 71 winners who received vouchers with a total amount of 85 M
• 1,670 business grants will be disbursed within the first BDP cycle, which is ending in July 2009. More than 2 Billion Tshs will be disbursed as a result of the first cycle of the Business Diagnosis Program. Grants disbursement to individual participants on the base of their won vouchers points will take place at the end of the BDP cycle in August 2009. This will be celebrated at the final Grants Awards Ceremonies at 14 August 2009.

Registration to participate in the next cycle of BDG shall be communicated at the end of first program cycle.
The second cycle of eight months duration is expected to run from October 2009.

To learn more about BDG and its activities please visit BDG web portal, www.bdgtpsf.com.
For more information on participation or sponsorship opportunities please contact the BDG Project Implementation Office at : BDGinfo@tpsftz.org, or by phone: +255 (0) 78 8066034 / 255 (0) 22 2602818.