By Our Reporter
Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB) has committed to scaling up financing for livestock and fisheries projects following strategic talks with the Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Ambassador Dr Bashiru Ally Kakurwa (MP), as the government intensifies efforts to modernise and commercialise the sector.
The meeting, held on January 27, 2026, at the Ministry’s offices in Dodoma, focused on deepening cooperation between the state-backed development lender and the ministry to accelerate investment across livestock and fisheries value chains.
The Minister urged TADB to expand access to affordable credit for smallholder livestock keepers and fishers, arguing that broader financial inclusion is essential to boosting productivity, strengthening food security, and improving rural incomes.
“The bank should widen its lending footprint, particularly among small-scale producers, while attracting more financial institutions into livestock and fisheries financing,” the minister said.
The engagement comes as Tanzania seeks to unlock growth in livestock and fisheries under its national agricultural transformation agenda, which prioritises private-sector investment, value addition, and youth- and women-led enterprises as drivers of economic expansion.
TADB Chief Executive Officer Frank Nyabundege pledged to accelerate loan disbursement, with a focus on projects targeting young entrepreneurs and women.
“We are increasing the pace of lending to high-impact projects that enhance productivity, employment, and inclusive economic growth,” he said.
According to data presented at the meeting, TADB has mobilised TZS 34.9 billion for boat acquisition and cage fish farming initiatives, with TZS 29.83 billion already disbursed to 5,932 beneficiaries across 16 regions.
The programme has financed 219 fishing boats and 536 aquaculture cages, supporting the expansion of commercial fishing and fish farming.
Under the Building a Better Tomorrow (BBT) Livestock Programme, the bank has extended TZS 847.3 million in interest-free loans to 106 youth beneficiaries, reinforcing efforts to promote agribusiness entrepreneurship among young Tanzanians.
TADB is also expanding its footprint in the dairy subsector through the Tanzania Inclusive Processor-Producer Partnerships in diary subsector (TI3P), having disbursed TZS 40 billion to dairy farmers and processors.
The bank has additionally financed the construction and rehabilitation of 23 milk collection centres, valued at TZS 1.1 billion, in partnership with government agencies, cooperatives, and private processors.
It goes without saying that improved access to development finance is critical to unlocking Tanzania’s livestock and fisheries potential, sectors that contribute significantly to employment, nutrition, and export earnings but remain constrained by limited capital and technology adoption.
The renewed partnership between TADB and the Ministry signals a broader policy push to deploy state-backed finance as a catalyst for private investment, productivity gains, and long-term transformation of Tanzania’s agri-food economy.