TOR: Legal Research On Steward Ownership In Tanzania
→ Context.
Rootical implements a start-up studio approach to develop regenerative food and agriculture businesses in Tanzania to foster job creation, to transition to a regenerative food system and grow the regenerative, ecological organic agri-food sector from within. A start-up studio drives a streamlined process, a proven methodology to produce start-ups. Agriedo Hub is the leading implementation and business development expert partner for piloting this studio model in Tanzania.
"We aim to regenerate not only agriculture but also finance & entrepreneurship."
In addition to regenerative agriculture and purpose-driven entrepreneurship, “Steward Ownership” is the third key pillar of Rootical’s unique value proposition. Steward Ownership is, in essence, a hack of capitalism to avoid the flaws of venture capitalism – absentee ownership, extractive finance, financial short-termism, hunting for unicorns – and the (too often) resulting mission drift.
Steward Ownership (SO) aims to protect a company’s purpose by strictly separating voting or decision-making rights in that company from financial return rights. While investors and founders can still make fair returns on their investments, their say in the company is no longer proportionate to the amount of money they put on the table. Instead, voting rights are intentionally distributed among the Stewards of that company – the employees, key suppliers, the farmers, or key customers, and other stakeholders – the people that are actively involved in the day-to-day pursuit of its mission. They are at the steering wheel of the profit-for-purpose enterprise. To make sure that long-term stakeholder value always prevails over short-term financial profits.
This movement is booming but not new. Multinational companies like Zeiss, Carlsberg, Bosch have been operating on steward ownership principles for decades and even centuries. There is ample evidence that steward ownership works, improving everything from employee satisfaction, retention and productivity to the longevity and market value of the steward owned businesses.
Re-envisioning the nature of corporate ownership, Purpose is the leading organization globally that advances steward ownership and provides an initial set of resources for entrepreneurs, founders, investors, and legal advisors (including a guidebook for lawyers): https://purpose-economy.org/en/whats-steward-ownership/
→ Scope of work.
Objectives of the assignment.
Based on a deep understanding of the Steward Ownership principles and a scrutiny of the relevant legal, fiscal, and administrative frameworks, the corporate law expert provides a series of recommendations on the opportunity, modalities, and implications of setting up steward owned profit-for-purpose entities in Tanzania.
Key questions.
We call for proposals that will address these key questions:
How does the technical-legal-fiscal framework foster or hinder the implementation of steward ownership in Tanzania? What are the barriers and opportunities for its implementation?
How to set up a profit-for-purpose entity that fully integrates the steward ownership (SO) principles and purpose lock-in in Tanzania?
What are the (fiscal, legal, practical) implications of setting up and running a SO-enterprise in Tanzania?
What are the SO set-ups that would work in Tanzania (e.g., Single entity, Twin entity model, Trust – Foundation structure, Golden share model, Foundation ownership, Cooperative, Perpetual purpose trust, etc.) and their (dis)advantages?
How does SO relate to, and is different from, other alternative ownership structures in Tanzania?
How to convey this legal advice to founders, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders in layman’s terms?
In short, the study helps us understand: i) what we have to know for/when setting up steward owned high-impact enterprises in Tanzania, ii) how to do so, and iii) what are the potential implications. Relevant insights, examples and opportunities from other East African countries should also be included.
Deliverables.
The deliverables for these terms of reference include:
Action plan and study report outline (after contracting and kick-off meeting)
Draft report
Final report in accessible layman’s language
All model documents for incorporation of a steward-owned entity in Tanzania drafted
Timeline.
This assignment should be concluded before the end of March, according to the following timeline.
Publication Terms of Reference: February 9th
Submission of proposals: February 20th
Contracting & kick-off meeting: February 27th
Action plan and draft table of contents: March 4rd
Actual research work completed: March 18th
Draft report submitted: March 20th
Final deliverables: March 30th
Qualifications of the expert(s).
We are looking for a legal consultant that has extensive experience in and knowledge of:
Corporate and tax law in Tanzania
Legal entities and combined entity models (e.g., a non-profit owning a for-profit)
Alternative ownership models and structures
Good methodological and research skills
Creative and strategic thinking
Ability to write clearly and concisely in laymen’s English
Submission of proposals.
We will accept proposals with a clear motivation to research and promote steward ownership in Tanzania alongside Rootical, a description of the proposed methodology, profile of the experts and cost estimates.
Please limit your proposal to 4-5 pages.
We estimate this assignment requires between 5 and 10 consulting days.
Please submit your proposals before COB on February 20th, 2026, to info@rootical.co.tz
