Summary
Under the programme, young entrepreneurs will gain access to affordable financing, receive support in preparing bankable business proposals, and be linked to investors, financial institutions and reliable markets through stronger private sector participation.
By Our Correspondent/ Dodoma
THE government has stepped up efforts to tackle youth unemployment through the Building a Better Tomorrow (BBT Project I), an ambitious national initiative expected to create at least 150,000 jobs for young people through agribusiness and livestock enterprises.
The project, under the jointly financial auspicies between the government of Tanzania and the African Development Bank (AfDB), has secured approximately US$129.71 million for its first phase.
It aims to equip about 11,000 young people with practical skills through livestock business incubation, entrepreneurship training and enterprise development programmes.
According to BBT Project Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, Mr. Tumsime Mutta the initiative is designed to transform agriculture into a vibrant source of employment while empowering young people to become successful agribusiness entrepreneurs.
“The project will facilitate the establishment of more than 6,000 youth-owned agribusiness enterprises, creating an estimated 150,000 direct jobs across the agriculture and livestock value chains,” he said.
Mutta added that the programme seeks to unlock employment opportunities in agriculture, livestock and fisheries while strengthening national food security and accelerating Tanzania’s economic growth.
He noted that the initiative is inspired by President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s vision of empowering young Tanzanians to harness the vast business opportunities available across the agriculture and livestock sectors.
As part of its implementation, the project will also develop approximately 43,500 acres of commercial cluster farms, supported by modern irrigation systems, rural access roads, youth accommodation facilities and climate-smart agricultural technologies to boost productivity and enhance resilience to climate change.
“The government has designed this programme to transform agriculture and livestock from subsistence activities into commercially viable enterprises capable of creating sustainable jobs and improving household incomes,” Mutta said.
He added that, besides the AfDB, other key development partners supporting the project include the World Bank (WB), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), AGRA, commercial banks and private sector stakeholders.
Under the programme, young entrepreneurs will gain access to affordable financing, receive support in preparing bankable business proposals, and be linked to investors, financial institutions and reliable markets through stronger private sector participation.
Currently being implemented in the Dodoma and Mbeya regions, BBT Project I primarily targets unemployed youth, as well as young people already engaged in agriculture and livestock businesses but constrained by limited access to capital, technology and business development services.
The government expects the initiative to play a significant role in building a new generation of commercially oriented young farmers and livestock entrepreneurs, contributing to Tanzania’s long-term economic transformation and inclusive growth.
