Providing a consultancy company in Tanzania with legal advice

About the organisation
Match Maker Associates is a consultancy company in Tanzania owned by 2 Tanzanian and 1 Dutch consultancy professionals. They provide services like value chain analysis, feasibility studies, market studies, financial brokerage etc. Target groups are mostly farmer cooperatives and fishermen cooperatives. A private equity fund was developed to provide critical finance to small and medium enterprises who fall in between criteria from micro-credit and commercial banks.

Business case
Via SharePeople, Hans Franke, was introduced to Match Maker Associates. As an experienced legal expert, Hans Franke provided the company with legal advice with regard to investments, organizational structure and investment solicitation within the EU(in particular the Netherlands).  

Analysis
A study of the preliminary prospectus was followed by interviews with the senior management. As the project was in a very early phase, the main objective was to remain a strong focus on the needs of the prospective investors while holding on to a clear picture of the desired project end result.

The outcome was not precisely to deviate from the original business case request. Instead, the expert focussed on explaining why and how the private equity fund should form the base for the company. The most important deliverable has proved to be the suggestion for and introduction of new officers. This is key to future growth and success of the investment fund.

Professional and personal development
Hans Franke: "The project has given me a new outlook with regard to investments on the African continent and the people and organizations involved therein."

Case owner, Henri van der Land : "The project has given me further insight in business planning when creating and running an investment company as well as managing the expectations of its investors."

Follow up
MMA and SharePeople maintain a two-year partnership. Both organisations will keep in touch (a.o. via the SharePeople liaison, at least every 6 months) After this Programme, an official update on the status of the organisation takes place every 12 months. With this information, a new Programme is one of the possibilities to boost the organisation if needed.