With the theme ‘Sowing the Seeds of Leadership Transformation,’ the CEO Roundtable of Tanzania (CEOrt) announces the fourth graduation ceremony of the CEO Apprenticeship Programme (CAP) on Thursday, August 29, 2024. This event will continue to showcase CAP’s significant impact on Tanzania’s leadership landscape.

Launched in 2019 in collaboration with Strathmore Global Institute, CAP is endorsed by the Prime Minister's Office and aims to identify and attract experienced Tanzanian executives from both public and private sectors, and through specialised coaching and mentorship, prepare them for senior leadership roles thus creating a pipeline of highly competent leaders ready to assume CEO roles both regionally and globally.

With Tanzania's rapidly growing economy demanding skilled visionaries, the CEOrt is committed to cultivating leaders who can drive performance and continuous improvement. Over the past four years, remarkable success has been achieved through CAP, with 30% of its graduates rising to CEO and other senior positions within leading multinational corporations. The programme has seen more Tanzanians assuming leadership roles in strategic organisations, and eight alumni currently lead distinguished multinational firms and drive innovation across key sectors such as oil and gas, banking, and manufacturing.

Unlocking the full potential of women is essential for addressing broader societal challenges and leveraging the talents of the entire population. As such, the CEOrt has committed to ensuring 25% female representation in each CAP cohort, acknowledging that gender balance in leadership is critical to enabling Tanzania’s sustainable and equitable prosperity.

“CAP was born out of a need we saw as CEOs to grow local talent for senior leadership roles while helping organisations that may not have the capacity in-house to develop their people,” says David Tarimo, CEOrt Board Chairman. “Beyond facilitating succession planning, companies can enhance the transfer of knowledge within, ensure a continuous flow of skilled leaders who are well-versed in local market dynamics, and adapt to changing market conditions while maintaining a competitive edge in the global marketplace.”

Speaking oatthe event, Hon. Adolf Mkenda, Minister of Education, Science and Technology, and Guest of Honor at the CAP Graduation ceremony, emphasised the important role of cross-sector collaboration between the Government and the business community. He highlighted that structural challenges, such as widespread poverty, are often linked to the fact that two-thirds of Tanzania’s population depends on agriculture for their livelihood. Yet, the sector contributes less than a third of the GDP. This points to low productivity levels, further outlining the need for transformation, including the growth of the middle class to boost demand for locally produced goods and enhance productivity.

Despite having vast land resources suitable for producing commodities like wheat and sunflower oil, Tanzania continues to import these products significantly. Educational reforms are one of the Government’s strategies to address these challenges. Initiatives include introducing vocational secondary schools to integrate academic and vocational education, bridging the skills gap and promoting economic growth. Recognising the importance of entrepreneurship, the Government has also made entrepreneurship a compulsory subject at the ordinary level of secondary education.

Programmes like CAP play a vital role as leadership development platforms that can serve as models for other capacity-building initiatives. The Government is very open to collaborating with CAP, a commitment first expressed by the Prime Minister four years ago at the inaugural CAP graduation. The goal is to cultivate more entrepreneurial-minded people and enhance the country's llabourforce.

Sponsors of the graduating cohort include Standard Chartered Bank, National Microfinance Bank (NMB), Bagamoyo Sugar (under the Bakhresa Group of Companies), Basil & Alred, Precision Air, Kioo Ltd, Peak Media (Banana FM), Derm Group Ltd, GSM Tanzania, Kiure Engineering Ltd, Multichoice Tanzania Ltd, T-Marc, CRDB Bank, J.D. Electronics Ltd, Tanzania Mortgage Refinance Company (TMRC), Vodacom Tanzania, and Songas Ltd.

As the next cohort prepares to begin in the first week of September 2024, the CEOrt remains steadfast in its mission to leverage CAP to foster leadership excellence through core developmental interventions and a dedication to nurturing Tanzania's future leaders.
 
About the CEO Roundtable of Tanzania
The organisation represents CEOs from over 200 leading companies in Tanzania cutting across multiple sectors of the economy with a shared purpose to enhance impact in leadership and the country’s sustainable socio-economic prosperity. Collectively, members of the CEOrt contribute to Tanzania’s economy through tax collection, employment, capacity building, technology transfer and skills development.

About Strathmore Global Institute
Strathmore was established in 1961. Over the years, Strathmore University has grown significantly with a student population of over 5000 and has become one of the most respected private universities in the region. In 2015 the Strathmore Business School (SBS) Tanzanian Leadership Academy was founded with its core objective being the development of leadership in Africa with a focus on transformation through virtue. In an endeavour to transform leadership in Africa, Strathmore Business School (SBS) seeks to influence leadership within the public and private sectors. This is the overarching mission at SBS; “Service to society through developing virtuous leaders by providing world-class executive management education in a local setting”.

1. Sowing seeds of leadership transformation - CAP impact:

The CEO Roundtable of Tanzania (CEOrt) is celebrating the fourth graduation ceremony of the CEO Apprenticeship Programme (CAP), highlighting its significant impact on Tanzania's leadership landscape since its inception in 2019.
Over 30% of CAP graduates have risen to CEO positions within leading multinational corporations, with eight alumni currently leading major firms in key sectors such as oil and gas, banking, and manufacturing.

2. Programme overview and endorsement:

Launched in collaboration with Strathmore Global Institute and endorsed by the Prime Minister's Office, CAP aims to identify and prepare experienced Tanzanian executives from both public and private sectors for senior leadership roles.
The programme provides specialised coaching and mentorship to create a pipeline of highly competent leaders ready to assume CEO roles regionally and globally.

3. Commitment to gender parity:

The CEOrt has committed to ensuring 25% female representation in each CAP cohort, emphasising the importance of gender balance in leadership for Tanzania’s sustainable and equitable prosperity.
Unlocking the full potential of women leaders is essential for addressing broader societal challenges and leveraging the talents of the entire population.

4. Support from Sponsors:

The graduating cohort is sponsored by leading organisations: Standard Chartered Bank, National Microfinance Bank (NMB), Bagamoyo Sugar, Basil & Alred, Precision Air, Kioo Ltd, Peak Media (Banana FM), Derm Group Ltd, GSM Tanzania, Kiure Engineering Ltd, Multichoice Tanzania Ltd, T-Marc, CRDB Bank, J.D. Electronics Ltd, Tanzania Mortgage Refinance Company (TMRC), Vodacom Tanzania, and Songas Ltd.
These sponsors play a crucial role in supporting the development and success of future Tanzanian leaders.

5. Moving forward - vision for the future:

The next cohort begins in September 2024, and the CEOrt remains committed to building leadership excellence through CAP.
The programme continues to address the need for skilled visionaries in Tanzania’s rapidly growing economy, ensuring a continuous flow of leaders well-versed in local market dynamics and capable of driving performance and innovation.