TADB drives transformation in agriculture, livestock, and fisheries sectors in Zanzibar
Zanzibar. The presence of the Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB) in Zanzibar has opened up new economic opportunities for farmers, livestock keepers, and fishers through affordable loans, financial education, and direct access to reliable markets.
This was revealed on Tuesday August 5, 2025, by the TADB Zanzibar Regional Manager, Ally Jamal Singoi during the Agricultural Exhibition (Nane Nane) in Dodoma in a special interview about the bank’s operations in Zanzibar.
“TADB has been a true liberator for people engaged in food production and other agricultural activities, including livestock and fisheries,” emphasized Mr Singoi.
Mr Singoi explained that the bank has supported various projects, including irrigation farming, modern livestock keeping, sustainable fishing, agricultural produce processing, and small-scale businesses run by youth and women in the agriculture, livestock, and fisheries value chains.
Services provided to the beneficiaries include access to quality farm inputs, irrigation equipment, modern technologies, and guaranteed markets for their produce.
“So far, a total of 43 projects have directly benefited from these services — 7 owned by women and 4 by youth. In addition, 10 projects have been financed under cooperative societies (8 from Pemba and 2 from Unguja). All these projects have been integrated into formal banking systems and linked to markets,” Singoi stressed.
TADB Zanzibar has supported projects involving the production of cash crops such as cloves, commercial egg-laying poultry, cage fish farming, and integrated farming involving youth and women. The bank has also been providing agribusiness and entrepreneurship training to new farmers, helping them shift from subsistence farming to profitable commercial farming.
According to Singoi, over 200 beneficiaries have been reached so far through this initiative, including the distribution of 352 improved dairy heifers valued at Sh993 million. In addition, livestock keepers who accessed loans were granted complementary subsidies worth Sh222 million to ease their loan repayment burden, thus boosting productivity and output.
Working in partnership with the Zanzibar Department of Livestock and Heifer International, the project has also facilitated training on modern livestock keeping, artificial insemination, access to improved livestock breeds, quality feed, and the provision of resources such as motorcycles for extension officers, grass-cutting machines, veterinary kits, computers, and milk collection infrastructure. In total, 1,583 livestock keepers (including 453 women) have been reached.
TADB continues to channel investments toward sustainable transformation in collaboration with the government and various stakeholders. Current plans include supporting marine farming projects such as sea cucumber aquaculture and agricultural produce processing carried out by women and youth.
For the 2025 financial year, the bank has approved Sh22 billion in funding — with Sh16 billion allocated to clove farming, Sh3.8 billion to poultry keepers, Sh1.1 billion to dairy farmers, and Sh1.2 billion to vegetable farming.
