Afreximbank backs Tanzanian SMEs with $10m export finance facility

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By Udeme Akpan
The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has extended a US$10 million finance facility to Azania Bank Plc of Tanzania to improve ac-cess to funding for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the country’s export value chains.

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The facility, provided under Afreximbank’s Export SME Development Programme (ESDP), will enable Azania Bank to offer eligible SMEs working capital and medium-term financing for business expansion, asset acquisition, and pre- and post-export operations.

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The initiative is expected to boost productivity, strengthen export ca-pacity and increase the participation of Tanzanian businesses in re-gional and global value chains, while addressing financing gaps that have constrained SME growth and export development.

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Azania Bank will on-lend the funds to eligible SMEs engaged in ex-port-oriented activities across key sectors, including agriculture, manu-facturing, trade, technology, logistics and value-added exports.

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The facility is also expected to support business expansion and job creation, improve export readiness and strengthen Tanzania’s partici-pation in regional trade.

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It will further help SMEs take advantage of opportunities under the Af-rican Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by strengthening their capacity to participate in cross-border trade and regional supply net-works.

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Beyond financing, Afreximbank will provide participating SMEs with structured business development support, including export-readiness training, financial management advisory services, market-linkage op-portunities, digitalisation support and access to SME-focused knowledge and networking platforms.

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These interventions are designed to strengthen enterprise resilience, improve competitiveness and enable businesses to scale sustainably.

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Mrs. Oluranti Doherty, Managing Director, Export Development, Afrex-imbank, said: “SMEs are the backbone of Africa’s productive economy and are critical to driving industrialisation, value addition and trade-led growth. However, many businesses continue to face significant barri-ers to accessing the financing, market opportunities and technical support needed to scale and compete effectively.

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“Through the Export SME Development Programme, Afreximbank is partnering with financial institutions such as Azania Bank to provide not only financing, but also the capacity-building and market-access solutions required for SMEs to grow, export and integrate into regional and global value chains.

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“We believe this partnership will contribute meaningfully to Tanzania’s export development objectives and help unlock new opportunities for local enterprises under the AfCFTA.”

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Mr. Yahaya Mbanka, Director, Business Development, Azania Bank Plc, said: “This facility will strengthen our ability to provide Tanzanian SMEs with the financing they need to grow their businesses, invest in productive capacity and pursue export opportunities.

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“Our partnership with Afreximbank will also enable us to offer support that responds more closely to the needs of businesses operating across Tanzania’s key value chains.”

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The facility supports Afreximbank’s mandate to promote trade, indus-trialisation and export development across Africa, while aligning with Tanzania’s priorities on domestic production, value addition, export di-versification and regional trade integration.

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Afreximbank’s 2025 Annual Trade Development Effectiveness Report (ATDER) shows that the Bank extended more than US$960 million to over 58,000 SMEs across Africa.

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The initiative, which prioritised women- and youth-led enterprises, among others, provided trade finance facilities that enabled business-es to access capital, scale operations, participate in cross-border trade and expand into new markets.

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