TADB balance sheet triples in four years

DAR ES SALAAM: THE Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB) has tripled its balance sheet over the past four years, growing from 362bn/- in 2021 to 1.13tri/- by June 2025, a landmark achievement for a bank once considered a small player in agricultural finance.

TADB Managing Director, Frank Nyabundege said the growth reflects the government’s strategic push to strengthen agriculture’s role in the national economy and position the bank as a catalyst for rural transformation.

“This kind of growth is not just about numbers… it means more farmers financed, more crops harvested and a stronger economy driven by inclusive agricultural investment.”

Founded in 2015 with a mandate to provide affordable credit to the agricultural sector, TADB has disbursed more than 1.1tri/- in loans to date. Annual lending has risen significantly from an average of 21bn/- five years ago to 106 bn/- by 2025.

The bank’s financing model is anchored in its Development Finance Window and the national Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme, which enables it to work with commercial banks to expand credit access for farmers, cooperatives and agribusinesses.

“Agriculture was once labelled too risky. Today, we are helping to de-risk the sector,” Nyabundege said.

The results are visible. Rice productivity in supported regions has jumped from 10 to 35 or even 40 bags per acre. In the cashew sector, production grew from 52,000 metric tonnes to over 55,000 metric tonnes, thanks to coordinated efforts with government input subsidies.

Nyabundege also credited the Bank of Tanzania and other development partners for supporting policies that favour long-term investment in agriculture.

“As we pass the 1trimark, our focus is not just growth, it’s impact,” he said.

The bank is currently preparing to launch a new suite of financing tools targeted at youth, women and green agriculture. Digital platforms are also being rolled out to ease access to loans and improve transparency in fund disbursement.

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Nyabundege emphasised that TADB’s transformation is far from over. “We see ourselves not just as a lender, but as an architect of agricultural transformation in Tanzania,” he said.

TADB’s 10-year anniversary will be officially marked this August, alongside Tanzania’s annual Nane Nane agricultural exhibition, where the bank will showcase its achievements and announce future strategic goals