DAR ES SALAAM, March 17 -- ACROSS many offices in Tanzania, business decisions still begin in the same place.

A spreadsheet.

Finance teams track revenue in spreadsheets. Sales teams record leads in spreadsheets. Procurement officers estimate demand in spreadsheets. For years, this method has been seen as practical and affordable.

But today, the economy is moving faster than spreadsheets can handle.

Data is growing. Markets are shifting quickly. Customer behaviour changes overnight. Companies that still rely only on spreadsheets are starting to feel the pressure. Decisions take longer.  Errors increase. Opportunities pass unnoticed.

For many Tanzanian firms, the challenge is no longer collecting data. The real challenge is turnin...