CRDB Bank has officially launched the Ughaibuni Loan, a new financial service designed to help Tanzanians who have secured employment opportunities abroad meet essential pre-departure costs and ultimately take up the jobs they have been offered.
The service was launched yesterday in Dar es Salaam through a partnership between CRDB Bank, the Prime Minister’s Office – Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations, and private recruitment agencies, as part of efforts to address financial barriers that prevent some young Tanzanians from travelling to take up jobs they have already secured.
Speaking at the launch, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office – Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations, Dr. Evalina Munisi, said the government had identified cases where Tanzanians who secure jobs abroad fail to travel because they cannot afford initial costs, including passports, medical examinations, permits and air tickets.
She said the situation had prompted the government to partner with CRDB Bank and private recruitment agencies to introduce the service and ensure that financial constraints do not cause young people to lose employment opportunities.
“Ughaibuni Loan is neither a grant nor free assistance. It is a financial opportunity specifically designed to enable Tanzanians with verified employment opportunities to complete their preparations and travel abroad for work,” Munisi said.
She said the government had continued to open up international labour markets through cooperation with various countries while ensuring that employment opportunities are safe, legal and decent.
According to Munisi, since the government officially resumed its programme of facilitating Tanzanians to access employment opportunities abroad in 2022, a total of 14,600 Tanzanians had secured jobs in various countries by June 2026.
She said the jobs covered a wide range of professions, including nursing, livestock, engineering, construction, mining, electrical work, carpentry, cooking, hospitality, driving and domestic work.
Munisi said the government had also continued to sign agreements with various countries to open up new labour markets, while holding discussions with other nations facing labour shortages.
On his part, CRDB Bank Acting Managing Director, Pendason Philemon, said the bank had allocated Sh250 billion over five years to support Tanzanians with employment opportunities abroad in meeting the costs associated with their travel preparations.
He said the loans would range from Sh500,000 to Sh20 million, depending on the applicant’s needs, type of employment and repayment capacity.
Philemon said the loan could be used to cover various initial requirements, including passports, visas, medical examinations, air tickets, language and cultural training, as well as other essential needs before the beneficiary begins receiving a salary.
He said applicants would be required to provide an employment letter, details of their travel requirements, a valid identification document and an introduction letter from a registered recruitment agency.
The beneficiary would also be required to have a CRDB Bank account through which the loan would be disbursed and the salary received from the employer abroad.
Philemon said the loan would be repaid within a maximum period of 24 months, with beneficiaries receiving a two-month grace period before repayment begins.
He said CRDB Bank introduced the service after identifying pre-departure costs, which can range between Sh5 million and Sh20 million depending on the destination country and type of employment, as a major barrier preventing some young people from taking up jobs they have secured.
Representing beneficiaries of overseas employment opportunities, Dickson Mbaga, thanked the government and CRDB Bank for introducing the service, saying it had helped young people who had secured jobs overcome travel and visa-related costs that previously posed a major obstacle.
Meanwhile, CRDB Bank Executive Director for Retail Banking, Stephan Adili, said the bank would continue working with the government to develop financial products aimed at addressing challenges facing Tanzanians, particularly young people.
He said CRDB had been a leading provider of financial services to Tanzanians living abroad and would continue leveraging that experience to ensure that international employment opportunities are accompanied by financial services that enable young people to access and take advantage of them.