The Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOS) which are co-operative financial models are flourishing in most of the developing economies recently. However, loan repayment capacity remains a challenge that threatens their future. Using financial statements data for the year 2012, from 36 SACCOS in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania, and using descriptive statistics and regression models in the analysis, this study examines the relationship between financial performance and loan repayment capacity. It thus examines the extent by which SACCOS are capable of recovering the loan issued and also the financial ratios that explain loan repayment capacity in SACCOS. The study depicts that there is a severe financial risk management problem among Tanzanian SACCOS. Focusing on sustainability is significant for improvements of loan repayment, but focusing on profitability in SACCOS results to an adverse loan repayment. The study asserts that the primary focus of SACCOS should not be profit but member's wealth maximization and sustainability of the institution. Moreover, we suggest that in addition the traditional means of dealing with financial risk, the uses of a modern risk management tool like credit scoring should be considered in evaluating borrowers.

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While Tanzania is endowed with enormous natural water resources, access to clean and safe water remains a great challenge. For instance, out of twenty urban water supply authorities, only three (Arusha, Songea and Tanga) supply water continuously. This paper examines factors influencing organisation efficiency of water supply utilities in Tanzania, using Mbeya Urban Water Supply Authority (UWSA) as case in point. The unit of analysis of this study were all employees of the Mbeya UWSA. Data were collected through structured questionnaires, key informant interviews and documentary analysis. Descriptive analysis and onesample t-test were employed as data analysis methods. The findings show that human resource competences in waste water management, civil engineering, distribution of water resources, other industrial services and agricultural water management contributes to a small extent to organisation efficiency of the utility. Shortage of funds, lack of priorities in government budget and low rate of return on investment contributes less to organisation efficiency of the utility. The use of information and communication technology moderately contributes to organisation efficiency while availability of working facilities, engagement in survey and innovation in water management contributes to a small extent to organisation efficiency of the utility. The study recommends Mbeya UWSA to take deliberate efforts to improve the attributes of human resource competences, financial resources and physical resources that have bearing effect on the organization efficiency of the utility in delivering services to customers.

Despite institutional efforts to integrate entrepreneurship courses into the mainstream education system in most developing countries, empirical evidence of whether and how they influence business start-up intentions through entrepreneurial competencies remains scarce. Against this perception, this paper explores the influence of entrepreneurial competencies on business start-up intentions. Partial Least Squares Path Modelling (PLS-PM) was used to examine the relationship between entrepreneurial competencies and business start-up intentions and how the antecedents of Theory of Planned Behaviour mediate their relationships using empirical data collected from 391 graduates who graduated between 2012 and 2017 from technical universities in the commercial city of Tanzania (Dar es Salaam). The findings reveal that entrepreneurial competencies influence attitudes toward start-ups and perceived behavioural control, jointly predicting business start-up intentions. However, their influence was more significant when mediated by attitudes toward start-ups and perceived behavioural control. Curriculum designers should design entrepreneurship programs using experiential pedagogies to facilitate learners’ acquisition of entrepreneurial competencies, attitudes towards start-ups, and perceived behavioural control.