Authors: Masakija John (University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania), Colman Titus Msoka, PhD (University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania), Juma Rashidi Kiduanga, PhD (University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)
Abstract: Training on income-generating activities (IGAs) is essential to any effective poverty reduction strategy, as it can boost both productivity and sustained income among impoverished individuals. Tanzania, like other developing countries, has been implementing various poverty reduction initiatives. For instance, in 2000, the government launched the Tanzania Social Action Fund(TASAF)as a mechanism aimed at alleviating poverty. Among its strategies, TASAF has organized training programs to enhance production capacity and increase income among the rural poor. This study examined how the characteristics of targeted TASAF beneficiaries (hereafter referred to as trainees)influenced the effectiveness of training in business plan writing for executing different IGAs, conducted by TASAF in 2018. The study involved 278 participants, and data were collected through questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions. The collected data were subjected to thematic and descriptive analysis. Findings indicate that the training was ineffective, with reported ineffectiveness stemming from illiteracy, aging and rigidity among trainees. To improve training effectiveness for illiterate trainees, it is recommended that literacy training precede business plan writing training programs.