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.
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.
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.
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.
The facility is also expected to support business expansion and job creation, improve export readiness and strengthen Tanzania’s partici-pation in regional trade.
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.
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.
These interventions are designed to strengthen enterprise resilience, improve competitiveness and enable businesses to scale sustainably.
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.
“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.
“We believe this partnership will contribute meaningfully to Tanzania’s export development objectives and help unlock new opportunities for local enterprises under the AfCFTA.”
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.
“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.”
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.
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.
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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