IN the upmarket business district in Hyderabad, India, there sits an imposing multistorey building that houses Techno Brain, a Tanzanian Information (IT) which has opened a branch in the Asian country. Located at S.V.
Square on Road No. 36, Jubilee Hills, an inviting huge billboard showing Techno Brain, draws a picture of quick picture of ‘Dar es Salaam in India.’ But after a few minutes, one may raise some questions how could a Tanzanian company manage to penetrate the Indian market and especially Hyderabad which is also referred as India’s ‘ IT Mecca.’
With this new development, Techno Brain has become the first Tanzanian IT company to have crossed the borders. During my brief stay in Hyderabad mid last month for the high-profile Indo-Africa Business Partnership Summit, I was privileged to visit the company.
I and my colleague, Mike Mande, The East African Bureau Chief for Tanzania who were covering the meeting, took some time out and paid the company a courtesy call. The pre-set mind before we had set foot in the newly constructed building was that the company could be housed in a small room, offering IT training.
This was in the opposite as the office was quite big, accommodating over 110 workers. The company’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Manoj Shanker, who had travelled to Hyderabad from Dar es Salaam for the meeting was there to meet us.
During the interview which lasted for about 40 minutes, the soft-spoken CEO who was accompanied by the Head of Techno Brain India, Mr Anand Mohan, said he was happy that a Tanzanian IT company has managed to break the barriers and opened a branch in India.
“This has opened a new chapter especially in the area of ICT development in Tanzania and Africa in general,” he says. He says that from a humble beginning, Techno Brain has grown to an international company with branches in Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda and Zambia.
“Apart from Hyderabad, we also have offices in Delaware in the US,” he says. He says the company founded 15 years ago from a small office along Bibi Titi Mohammed near Mnazi Mmoja in Dar es Salaam, initially started offering IT Training and Education Business then expanded to software solutions.
The company then moved to its corporate office in Masaki area from Mnazi Mmoja two years ago. He says the company has 700 employees in total and future plans are to cover the entire globe. Out of them, over 200 workers are employed in Tanzania.
He says the company has won a number of global awards such as the Country Partner of the Year by Microsoft and number one IT company among KPMG’s survey of top 100 mid size firms. “We see the sky the limit. We are striving hard to develop new products that keep the company above the rest, not only in Tanzania but all over the world,” he says.
He says that Africa is on the right path in ICT and could claim a bigger share at the global stage in the next 30 years especially in supplying manpower. “This is possible if we develop a vision towards that goal. But, I can see that happening in the next 20 to 30 years,” he says.
He says the company has successfully developed products in Tanzania that can be sold anywhere in the world. “This proves that Tanzania and Africa has talent. The question is how to harness this talent which requires perseverance and determination,” Mr Manoj adds.
He says Techno Brain fully supports the government in developing local content software that addresses the problems on the ground. The CEO adds that Tanzanian IT companies are better placed to understand problems facing the country than companies from outside.
“While we can definitely leverage technology platform from outside, local capacity to develop content is critical to Africa’s success. We are already doing this at Techno Brain. All of our products have been evolved and designed in Africa,” he says.
His views are shared by the Minister for Communication, Science and Technology, Prof Makame Mbarawa who addressed the second edition of the Indo-Africa Business Partnership Summit, calling for local IT firms to develop a multi-media content software that addresses challenges facing the people on the ground instead of importing such systems from outside.
He says that Tanzanian companies not only on IT but other areas like commodity and trade, banking, manufacturing and insurance could export businesses abroad and become part of the global trade network. “From our own experience, it’s tough to become a global company from Tanzania but with strong vision, determination and a good plan, this is quite possible,” Mr Manoj adds.
The Indian High Commissioner to Tanzania, Mr K. V. Bhagirath is equally impressed by the development. He says Tanzanian company opening a new branch in India is a clear testimony that Africans are now able to compete at an international level. He says trade imbalance between Tanzania and India has been narrowed further between 2006 and this year.
“India has topped the list whereby Tanzania imported goods worth 955.34 million US dollars this year compared to 237.02 million dollars in 2005,” the High Commissioner says. He says exports from Tanzania have gone up significantly from 56.56 million in 2006 to 105.50 million dollars between January and July, this year.
“In the past, we only talked of Tanzania agricultural produce but now we can see exports in information technology,” he adds. According to him, Techno Brain’s move should be emulated by other Tanzanian companies to invest in India. “Trade imbalances between the two countries can only be reduced by sharing knowledge and experience in various fields.
There should be a resolve to do that. I am happy that Techno Brain has set the pace for other Tanzanian companies,” he says. He says Tanzanians should find ways to partner with Indian firms especially in other untapped areas like agroprocessing. “The Indian High Commission in Dar es Salaam is readily available to give details on business opportunities in my country,” he says.
He says India regards Africa as a good business partner, adding that this opportunity should not be wasted. “When India looks at Africa, we always see the window for fast growth. Through sharing of knowledge and expertise, this partnership can work better for a win-win
situation.
The Bank of Tanzania (BoT) statistics show primary export commodities as gold, coffee, cashew nuts, manufactured products and cotton while imports are boilers, machinery, fuel, oils, distillation products, electrical and electronic equipment, vehicles and spare parts.
Indian businessmen and women should seize the abundant opportunities in Tanzania by investing in key areas such as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development. According to the Minister for Communications, Science and Technology, Prof Makame Mbarawa, the government wants investors particularly in developing local multi-media content software that would address issues that are relevant to the national development.
“Instead of relying on software that has been designed for the entire world, we need investors who would develop a customized IT content for our country,” he says. With its strategic geographical position, Tanzania places itself as the most ideal place in the entire East and Central African region where investors not only from India but world over could come and explore various untapped business opportunities.
He mentioned other areas which are yet to be tapped fully as IT parks and small ICT villages where the youth could assemble and design software that is ideal for the local markets. Business processing outsourcing (BPO) system which could create more jobs for Tanzanians by creating calling centres in the country.
Indian investors can capitalize on the fast growing East African Community (EAC) market, covering over 140 million people. with the improved communication and infrastructure such as road and railway network, the EAC market offers a quick return on investment (ROI).
The fibre optic project has made communication easier for Tanzania and the landlocked countries such as Zambia, Malawi, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda. The first phase of Tanzania’s 10,674-kilometre national fibre-optic backbone was completed in May last year, connecting to the SEACOM, and EASSy submarine cables. It runs from Mombasa (Kenya) through Nairobi (Kenya), Kampala (Uganda), Kigali (Rwanda), and Bujumbura (Burundi) to Dar es Salaam.
Square on Road No. 36, Jubilee Hills, an inviting huge billboard showing Techno Brain, draws a picture of quick picture of ‘Dar es Salaam in India.’ But after a few minutes, one may raise some questions how could a Tanzanian company manage to penetrate the Indian market and especially Hyderabad which is also referred as India’s ‘ IT Mecca.’
With this new development, Techno Brain has become the first Tanzanian IT company to have crossed the borders. During my brief stay in Hyderabad mid last month for the high-profile Indo-Africa Business Partnership Summit, I was privileged to visit the company.
I and my colleague, Mike Mande, The East African Bureau Chief for Tanzania who were covering the meeting, took some time out and paid the company a courtesy call. The pre-set mind before we had set foot in the newly constructed building was that the company could be housed in a small room, offering IT training.
This was in the opposite as the office was quite big, accommodating over 110 workers. The company’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Manoj Shanker, who had travelled to Hyderabad from Dar es Salaam for the meeting was there to meet us.
During the interview which lasted for about 40 minutes, the soft-spoken CEO who was accompanied by the Head of Techno Brain India, Mr Anand Mohan, said he was happy that a Tanzanian IT company has managed to break the barriers and opened a branch in India.
“This has opened a new chapter especially in the area of ICT development in Tanzania and Africa in general,” he says. He says that from a humble beginning, Techno Brain has grown to an international company with branches in Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda and Zambia.
“Apart from Hyderabad, we also have offices in Delaware in the US,” he says. He says the company founded 15 years ago from a small office along Bibi Titi Mohammed near Mnazi Mmoja in Dar es Salaam, initially started offering IT Training and Education Business then expanded to software solutions.
The company then moved to its corporate office in Masaki area from Mnazi Mmoja two years ago. He says the company has 700 employees in total and future plans are to cover the entire globe. Out of them, over 200 workers are employed in Tanzania.
He says the company has won a number of global awards such as the Country Partner of the Year by Microsoft and number one IT company among KPMG’s survey of top 100 mid size firms. “We see the sky the limit. We are striving hard to develop new products that keep the company above the rest, not only in Tanzania but all over the world,” he says.
He says that Africa is on the right path in ICT and could claim a bigger share at the global stage in the next 30 years especially in supplying manpower. “This is possible if we develop a vision towards that goal. But, I can see that happening in the next 20 to 30 years,” he says.
He says the company has successfully developed products in Tanzania that can be sold anywhere in the world. “This proves that Tanzania and Africa has talent. The question is how to harness this talent which requires perseverance and determination,” Mr Manoj adds.
He says Techno Brain fully supports the government in developing local content software that addresses the problems on the ground. The CEO adds that Tanzanian IT companies are better placed to understand problems facing the country than companies from outside.
“While we can definitely leverage technology platform from outside, local capacity to develop content is critical to Africa’s success. We are already doing this at Techno Brain. All of our products have been evolved and designed in Africa,” he says.
His views are shared by the Minister for Communication, Science and Technology, Prof Makame Mbarawa who addressed the second edition of the Indo-Africa Business Partnership Summit, calling for local IT firms to develop a multi-media content software that addresses challenges facing the people on the ground instead of importing such systems from outside.
He says that Tanzanian companies not only on IT but other areas like commodity and trade, banking, manufacturing and insurance could export businesses abroad and become part of the global trade network. “From our own experience, it’s tough to become a global company from Tanzania but with strong vision, determination and a good plan, this is quite possible,” Mr Manoj adds.
The Indian High Commissioner to Tanzania, Mr K. V. Bhagirath is equally impressed by the development. He says Tanzanian company opening a new branch in India is a clear testimony that Africans are now able to compete at an international level. He says trade imbalance between Tanzania and India has been narrowed further between 2006 and this year.
“India has topped the list whereby Tanzania imported goods worth 955.34 million US dollars this year compared to 237.02 million dollars in 2005,” the High Commissioner says. He says exports from Tanzania have gone up significantly from 56.56 million in 2006 to 105.50 million dollars between January and July, this year.
“In the past, we only talked of Tanzania agricultural produce but now we can see exports in information technology,” he adds. According to him, Techno Brain’s move should be emulated by other Tanzanian companies to invest in India. “Trade imbalances between the two countries can only be reduced by sharing knowledge and experience in various fields.
There should be a resolve to do that. I am happy that Techno Brain has set the pace for other Tanzanian companies,” he says. He says Tanzanians should find ways to partner with Indian firms especially in other untapped areas like agroprocessing. “The Indian High Commission in Dar es Salaam is readily available to give details on business opportunities in my country,” he says.
He says India regards Africa as a good business partner, adding that this opportunity should not be wasted. “When India looks at Africa, we always see the window for fast growth. Through sharing of knowledge and expertise, this partnership can work better for a win-win
situation.
The Bank of Tanzania (BoT) statistics show primary export commodities as gold, coffee, cashew nuts, manufactured products and cotton while imports are boilers, machinery, fuel, oils, distillation products, electrical and electronic equipment, vehicles and spare parts.
Indian businessmen and women should seize the abundant opportunities in Tanzania by investing in key areas such as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development. According to the Minister for Communications, Science and Technology, Prof Makame Mbarawa, the government wants investors particularly in developing local multi-media content software that would address issues that are relevant to the national development.
“Instead of relying on software that has been designed for the entire world, we need investors who would develop a customized IT content for our country,” he says. With its strategic geographical position, Tanzania places itself as the most ideal place in the entire East and Central African region where investors not only from India but world over could come and explore various untapped business opportunities.
He mentioned other areas which are yet to be tapped fully as IT parks and small ICT villages where the youth could assemble and design software that is ideal for the local markets. Business processing outsourcing (BPO) system which could create more jobs for Tanzanians by creating calling centres in the country.
Indian investors can capitalize on the fast growing East African Community (EAC) market, covering over 140 million people. with the improved communication and infrastructure such as road and railway network, the EAC market offers a quick return on investment (ROI).
The fibre optic project has made communication easier for Tanzania and the landlocked countries such as Zambia, Malawi, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda. The first phase of Tanzania’s 10,674-kilometre national fibre-optic backbone was completed in May last year, connecting to the SEACOM, and EASSy submarine cables. It runs from Mombasa (Kenya) through Nairobi (Kenya), Kampala (Uganda), Kigali (Rwanda), and Bujumbura (Burundi) to Dar es Salaam.
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