About Us

Background

TIPS began operating in 1986. It was formed by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Fund for Science and Technology (UNFSTD) who designed its original project.

In 1996, the UNDP handed over TIPS to the government of Zimbabwe. Currently, TIPS Zimbabwe is a unit housed under the Scientific and Industrial Research and Development Centre (SIRDC).

Who Do We Serve

Our clientele base is cemented on, but not restricted to, Micro, Small to Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) as depicted below;

PARAMETER	INTENT AND SCOPE OF SERVICE
Age	Age Economically Active Age Group
Gender	Male and Female
Location	Rural and Urban
Reach	Nationwide and Internationally
Entrepreneurs	Informal to Formal
Businesses	Non-registered to registered Sectors
Sectors	All lines of businesses; Manufacturing, Farming, Retailing, ICT and every other ones.
Groupings	Clubs, Clusters, Communities, Cooperatives and Associations

Achievements

The Technological and Commercial Information Promotion System (TIPS) major achievements in the period 2014-19 period include, among others:

• Hosting of the Inaugural Career Guidance Expo that saw over 4000 students from more than 60 schools from across the country being mentored on career paths. The event was officially launched by his Excellence the President of Zimbabwe, Dr E.D Mnangagwa, officially represented by Honourable Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education Science and Technology Development, Professor Amon Murwira.
• Trained over 900 farmers and various stakeholders in Horticulture Export Development as a capacitating drive to increase the overall national agro-export output.
• Trained 10 schools and assisted them in infrastructure set ups for button and oyster mushroom production as an income generation projects and a healthy food consumption alternative.
• Provided integrated poultry training to 150 chicken farmers covering broilers, layers, indigenous chickens, incubation, hatching, brooding and commercialization.
• Conducted practical monthly trainings attended by 500 participants thus far covering; Potato production, Button and Oyster Mushroom; Poultry and Horticulture.
• Increased farmers’ database to 3200. This database has been used for information dissemination, technology sharing and conducting essential snap surveys.
• Training of 150 rural social enterprise on Entrepreneurship, including resilience in the face of natural shocks such as droughts and economic turmoil in 3 rural districts of Mberengwa, Zvishavane and Masvingo by providing entrepreneurship training.
• Training of 55 government and state enterprises personnel on Market Governance on a train the trainer programme.
• Training of 420 participants on retirement planning focusing on alternative sources of income as a compliment to the usual pensions.
• Training of 140 informal traders on business plan/proposal development and how to manage a business loan.
• Facilitated company registrations for a cumulative number of 1200 entrepreneurs through the Registrar of Companies, using the Private Limited Act and the Private Business Act. Assisted over 250 SMEs to fulfil statutory obligations with ZIMRA, to obtain different licenses from local authorities, to obtain permits and licenses from line ministries and relevant state authorities

Going Forward

TIPS shall continue to play a leading in the development of SMEs sector for it to contribute meaningfully to the national economy.

• In the spirit of devolution TIPS will decentralise the Career Guidance Expos to other cities and towns around the country to give students, tertiary institutions and professional career organisations a platform to interact and share ideas.

Some of Our Partners

• SIRDC
• The Registrar of Companies
• TAX Matrix
• CORONATION Risk Advisors (Pvt) ltd
• Ministry of Education
• Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education
• Plant Quarantine Services Institute
• Zimtrade
• Agribank
• Premier Business Club
• ZIMRA
• KOPIA
• Food & Nutrition Council(FNC),
• and many more