A Dissertation Submitted to Mzumbe University, Dar es Salaam Campus College in
Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of Master of Science in
Accounts and Finance of Mzumbe University
The general objective of this study was to find out the factors determining performance
of SMEs in Tanzania. The study was conducted in Temeke district in Dar-es-salaam
region. The study used descriptive research design. This study employed convinience
sampling and purposive sampling to collect data from 100 business people, government
officials and microfinance officials using interviews and questionnaires. The data was
analyzed descriptively and presented through figures, tables and percentages.
Quantitative data were collected through questionnaires which were processed using the
Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS).
Generally, the findings indicate that internal, external and resource related factors affect
SME’s performance. The findings also indicate that SMEs face a number of challenges
including competition among themselves and from large firms, corruption, capital
constraints, hawkers, poor security and improper record keeping. In conclusion, this
study has achieved its research objectives. In this study, there are three significant
determinants affecting the performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The
study recommends that: the government should get involved in determining the interest
rate and protecting the borrowers; the policies of the MFI, as guided by the Central
Bank, should be maintained with increased capacity on lending powers to make
available finances for the success of small and medium sized entrepreneurs’
development; SME’s should reform unions or organizations that are active in looking for
their rights and address their needs to appropriate authorities; the SME’s should further
be encouraged to get more investment opportunities instead of only one and have an
enterprise before borrowing the money to avoid using their loans to establish
investments instead of expanding and diversifying the already established investments;
there is also need to get trained in an area that is relevant to the business carried; there is
need to improve ways of gathering customer information for the purpose of personalized
marketing and service in the context of objectives.