COLUMN: TANZANIA TRENDS. What if data beat your product

IN today’s economy, the most powerful asset isn’t gold, oil or even capital, it’s data. From big brands to small startups, the most successful companies in the world aren’t just selling products; they’re reading behaviour, forecasting demand and personalising experiences.

They’re banking on data. But in Tanzania, data is often still treated like digital waste scattered across systems, ignored in boardrooms and misunderstood by managers.

The question isn’t whether data is valuable. The question is: Who in Tanzania is actually benefiting from this new currency? Globally, data is embedded into everyday business decisions.

Netflix uses viewing history to recommend content. Amazon adjusts prices every few minutes using data models.

Even small Western firms use dashboards to monitor operations in real time. In contrast, Tanzanian businesses, especially SMEs often rely on gut instinct. Customer details sit in notebooks.

Sales figures don’t match inventory numbers. And reports are prepared manually, long after decisions are made. Multinational banks and telecoms operating in Tanzania are the exceptions.

They know that every mobile payment, call, or app download is a datapoint and they use it to drive growth. But many local companies haven’t caught up. It’s not that Tanzanian business leaders don’t care about data.

The issue is deeper. Data is often fragmented. It’s stored across phones, WhatsApp chats, paper receipts and outdated systems. There’s no centralised view.

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On top of that, data literacy is low. Staff may collect data but don’t know how to clean, analyse, or visualise it. And even more fundamentally, many executives still see data as a technical side task not a strategic business asset.

According to a 2024 survey by the Tanzania ICT Commission, less than 20 per cent of surveyed SMEs use any form of data analytics or visualisation tools. Most still operate reactively, not proactively. Despite the gap, a few key players in Tanzania are turning data into tangible results. Banks and credit bureaus are leading the way.

Financial institutions like NMB, CRDB and Credit Info use transaction data to assess credit risk, detect fraud and customise loan offerings. Data cuts costs and speeds up decision-making.

Telecom operators are not far behind. Vodacom, Airtel and Tigo analyse call records, mobile money transactions and location data to design targeted campaigns, manage network demand and retain customers. Fintech startups like NALA and AzamPay are building with data from day one.

They use customer behaviour insights to improve user experience, raise funding and scale faster than traditional competitors. Even in the public sector, institutions like NBS and TRA have begun integrating data analytics into planning and compliance efforts. It’s earlystage, but it shows promise.

These organisations treat data like capital something to manage, grow and invest in. On the other hand, when companies don’t bank on their data, they lose more than insight they lose potential money. Without tracking demand, firms often overstock or run out of key products.

When marketing campaigns target everyone the same way, conversion rates drop. Without customer purchase history, it’s difficult to build loyalty.

And when there’s no performance data, it’s hard to improve. You can’t fix what you don’t measure. It’s like having millions in potential locked up just because you never bothered to check your digital wallet. It doesn’t take millions or advanced AI to begin using data wisely.

The first step is to make data a boardroom topic. Start every discussion with: “What does the data say?” Just like you’d ask about budget or revenue. Then, centralise the information. Use affordable tools like Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, or Power BI to consolidate data. Even basic dashboards can reveal valuable trends.

Training your staff is the next step. Upskill employees on Excel, basic statistics and data storytelling. Knowledge is cheaper and more sustainable than relying on external consultants all the time.

Don’t just track what’s easy, track what matters. Focus on metrics that relate to money: profit margins, customer retention, regional sales patterns.

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Tie every data point to a decision. In a few years, the most competitive companies in Tanzania won’t be the ones with the biggest offices, they’ll be the ones with the cleanest data, the best dashboards and the fastest decisions. Whether you’re in agriculture, fintech, retail or logistics, one truth will remain: whoever understands their data will understand their market. And in business, understanding is power.

Data is the new currency. It grows with use, multiplies with structure and compounds with insight. But like any currency, it’s useless if it’s never deposited, tracked, or invested.

The firms that win in the next decade will be those who start treating data like they treat money with care, strategy and vision. So is your business saving data or still spending blindly?