By Our Reporter
Deputy Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Ng’wasi Damas Kamani has urged the Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB) to continue lending to young people under the Building a Better Tomorrow (BBT) Livestock and Fisheries programme while strengthening monitoring to ensure the loans deliver the intended results.
Mr Kamani said accurate information on beneficiaries and the value of their projects was also needed to enable the government to measure the programme’s impact and identify areas requiring improvement.
He made the remarks yesterday, September 12, 2026, during a working visit to TADB’s Lake Zone office in Mwanza as part of a three-day exercise to follow up on directives issued by the Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Ambassador Dr Bashiru Ally Kakurwa.
The deputy minister directed TADB to maintain accurate data on the number of young people benefiting from BBT loans and the value of the projects they are implementing.
He said regular monitoring and evaluation would help establish whether beneficiaries were achieving the expected returns from the loans and strengthen confidence in the programme.
“Government projects should not be denied access to loans by any institution, as this will facilitate repayment and prevent public funds from being lost unnecessarily,” Mr Kamani said.
He also called on TADB to continue providing loans to young people involved in cage fish farming, saying access to finance would enable them to increase production and build sustainable incomes from fishing activities.
Mr Kamani further directed the bank to establish an information system to capture details of loans issued and beneficiaries under the BBT programme.
Such a system, he said, would give the government a clearer picture of the programme’s reach and performance while making it easier to track projects after financing.
TADB Lake Zone acting manager Charles Mbelwa said the proposed system was expected to be ready and operational by December this year.
He said the system would help maintain reliable records and accurate statistics on beneficiaries, making it easier for the bank and the government to monitor and evaluate projects financed through the programme.
The push for stronger monitoring comes as the government seeks to ensure that youth financing programmes translate into productive businesses, higher incomes and sustainable employment rather than simply increasing the number of loans issued.