Tanzania: RC Applauds NBC for 114.7 M/ - Alms to Agri Sector

By Daily News Reporter in Simiyu

THE National Bank of Commerce (NBC) has released 114.7m/- to support education and agricultural

activities in Simiyu Region, which supplements the government's efforts to boost the sector's growth in the area.

Receiving the alms, Simiyu Regional Commissioner (RC), Anthony Mtaka said during the just ended Nanenane exhibitions that was taking place in Simiyu for the third consecutive year that part of the money should be spent in drilling a well at Maswa Girls Secondary School and putting up a 50-acre farm at the school.

"As a sign of appreciating the bank's activities and NBC for being at the forefront in helping us on matters of building community infrastructures and supporting agriculture and education sectors, the region has decided that we should pay tribute to this bank because they deserve to be respected," he said.

Equally, the RC commended the bank for being listed among five African banks out of over 200 financial institutions which will compete in the SME Bank of the Year award, an important milestone to have been recorded by a Tanzanian bank.

On his part, NBC Managing Director, Theobald Sabi clarified that out of 114.7m/-, about 40m/- sponsored the ongoing Nanenane Exhibitions, while 10m/- will be spent in building Simiyu Secondary School, especially in purchasing 541 bags of cement for the construction of the school.

"About 19.9m/- will go towards helping in the construction of Anthony Mtaka Secondary School and will be enough to buy about 1080 bags of cement, and the remaining 44.8m/- will be spent in drilling a water well for an irrigation scheme of potato farms to groups of women in Maswa district."

However, Mr Sabi outlined that some of the initiatives being undertaken by his bank in helping farmers and entrepreneurs include rolling out of training programmes on agribusiness in collaboration with Tanzania Women Business Association (TABWA) and Tanzania Trade Development Authority (Tan Trade) being undertaken during the Nanenane exhibitions.

"We have equally come up with a special service for farmers dubbed 'NBC Shambani' targeting to help agriculture stakeholders to fulfill their business ambitions and provide an opportunity of having special group accounts like Agricultural and Marketing Cooperative Society (AMCOS)," he noted.

The occasion was also attended by different government officials as well as several agriculture stakeholders from the Lake Zone.