CRDB Bank: Trailing on President Samia’s exalted leadership prints with pride
The CRDB Bank Head of Corporate Social Investment, Mr Jadi Ngwale (first left), participates in the launch of men’s ward constructed by CRDB Bank in Bagamoyo District, Coast Region.
What you need to know:
- As the nation celebrates Dr Samia’s leadership marks, the giant lender in the country toasts to its impressive financial performance that aligns well with the country’s economic growth trajectory.
In the vast chronicles of President Samia’s four-year successful reign that is marked this year, CRDB Bank retains enough pages to flip through.
Her first presidential campaign has been nothing short of rebuilding the country’s investment and business landscapes, a move that repositioned the bank in many different ways to the market.
During these radiant times, CRDB Bank saw both its profitability and assets rise cumulatively yearly. The tax contributions were significantly improved too.
As the nation celebrates Dr Samia’s leadership marks, the giant lender in the country toasts to its impressive financial performance that aligns well with the country’s economic growth trajectory.
CRDB Bank’s Group CEO and Managing Director, Mr. Abdulmajid Nsekela, says that they have improved their balance sheet, grown their loan book and strengthened their customer deposits by giving the bank a ticket to re-invest in community welfare.
Mr. Nsekela states that despite setting aside one percent of its profit for charity cause, the cross-border financier continues to stretch its regional wings to move services closer to its diverse customers through the CRDB Bank Foundation.
“Driven by our CSI policy and CRDB Bank Foundation, we have four parameters to focus on: education, health, environment and women and youth empowerment.
CRDB Bank’s Southern Zonal Manager, Mr Denis Mwokela (left), hands over desks to Liwale District Council Acting Director Damas Mumwi (right) for Nangando Secondary School in Liwale District, Lindi Region.
In those four years, we have successfully impacted across all four parameters and put smiles on many people’s faces through collaborations.
Under her visionary stewardship, not only businesses have blossomed but also households’ income improved,” clarifies Mr. Nsekela.
He further notes that President Samia’s efforts to improve people’s livelihoods through promoting the use of clean cooking energies, endorsing the country’s tourist attractions and upgrading local infrastructure, keeps on unlocking more business opportunities and increasing income for the citizens.
“When the revenue rises, we can afford to do many meaningful activities for our country’s benefits,” he emphasizes.
Contribution to the education sector
In this sector, the bank has implemented multiple initiatives to promote its growth, focusing more on constructing new classes, latrines, dormitories, staff offices and donating desks, tables, chairs, computers as well as other necessary inputs.
To make these education interventions worthwhile, the bank launched the KetiJifunze programme, the lender’s transformative initiative that was entrusted to bring about equitable, inclusive and quality education.
The Director of Communications and Corporate Relations at CRDB Bank, Ms. Tully Esther Mwambapa, who also doubles as the CEO of CRDB Bank Foundation, says that the bank splashed out over Sh2.31 billion for the CSI projects in the year ended December 2024.
The CRDB Bank Foundation Board Chairman, Mr Martin Waryoba (centre) and the CRDB Bank Foundation CEO, Ms Tully Esther Mwambapa (on his right), in a group photo with startups young leaders financed with seed capital totaling to Sh236.57 million through the Imbeju programme.
In the earmarked funds, Sh1 billion, which is equivalent to 44 percent, were channeled into the education sector as expenses for classrooms and toilets at schools located in Babati, Kondoa, Nyamagana and Muheza districts.
In 2024, she says that they also dedicated efforts to impacting students with special needs to make it easier for them to learn as any.
“We supported the construction of friendlier and easily accessible classes for students with disabilities.
Nonetheless, we designed some tailored desks, tables and chairs to meet their needs.
We also supplied mattresses to some students in boarding schools in Rukwa, Manyara and Songwe regions, “explains Tully Esther.
For the year 2024 alone, the KetiJifunze programme dished out over Sh350 million to finance the making of 1,600 desks, 1,595 tables and chairs supplied to 57 schools in 53 municipalities across the country.
A view of classrooms built by CRDB Bank at the Union Support School in Babati district, Manyara Region.
Contribution to the health sector
CRDB Bank understands that only healthy communities can afford to the country’s economy.
And in that regard, the top-tier continues to engage in community-based health activities, believing that health is something not to be compromised.
The bank has been involved in different health interventions including facilitating access to medical services for disadvantaged individuals, providing health education to raise awareness to people and strengthening healthcare facilities by supporting the construction of wards and supplying medical equipment to health facilities.
Using partnerships approach, CRDB Bank implemented those interventions in collaboration with the likes of Afya Check Programme, the Ali Kimara Rare Diseases Foundation and others to reach the needy from all walks of life across the country.
Through the CRDB Bank Marathon, the bank allocates the funds generated from the charity race to cover the expenses of at least 100 children with cardiac problems at the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI), newborns health and risky pregnancies at the CCBRT and support the construction of the Call Centre of the Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI).
Peter Dyaro, the father of one of the luckiest children who were successfully treated after being diagnosed with heart problems through the CRDB Bank Marathon funds, reveals how he benefitted from the funds.
“My son was experiencing a throbbing pain, and I was told that it would almost cost me between Sh5 million and Sh30 million to have him attended to, the money that I could not really afford.
Upon hearing the news of the CRDB Bank initiative aimed at donating money to support children with heart complications at JKCI, I had to leverage on such rare opportunity by travelling from Hanang to Dar es Salaam to salvage my child’s life,” he says adding that:
“My son then finally was successfully treated, and I really cannot thank CRDB Bank enough for putting smile on our faces again.”
A view of beds, mattresses and sheets donated by CRDB Bank to a hospital in Bagamoyo District, Coast Region.
Contribution to the environment sector
By understanding the onslaughts of climate change, the bank made some commendable crusades that sustainably preserved our nature and scenic surroundings over the period.
In 2019, CRDB Bank launched its ‘Pendezesha Tanzania’ campaign, a national wide tree planting initiative aimed at supporting reforestation agenda for climate resilience.
More than 1,200 trees have been planted to protect water sources, encouraging communities to continue planting more trees and preserve the environment as well as increased awareness on the significance of living a sustainable life.
In an effort to create an environmentally-conscious society, the top lender, in 2023, rolled out the country’s first green bond to strongly underpin sustainability practices.
Through the Kijani Bond issuance, the bank raised more than Sh171.82 billion where not less than Sh88.5 billion have already been disbursed for renewable energy, energy efficiency, climate smart agriculture and several pipelines for green buildings, clean transportation and water and wastewater management projects.
The bank is also keen on pushing President Samia’s energy transition drive of promoting the use of clean cooking energy among Tanzanians, a joint initiative being implemented by the Energy Ministry and the National Economic Empowerment Council (NEEC).
Women and youth empowerment
It is within the four-year journey of President Samia that the CRDB Bank Foundation was established to run a women, youth and special group’s empowerment programme dubbed Imbeju.
The Minister for Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups, Dr Dorothy Gwajima, hands over a dummy cheque to entrepreneur groups eligible for seed capital allocation from the CRDB Bank Foundation at the Imbeju Entrepreneurs Exhibition in Ilala District, Dar es Salaam.
The programme beneficiaries have benefited much from financial education and entrepreneurship training helping them to improve their ventures.
By January 2025, more than 800,000 women and young entrepreneurs had already received financial education and equipped with business skills.
“During this period, we have dished out a total seed capital amounting to more than Sh20.2 billion,” says Ms. Tully Esther.
A view of a renovated ward by CRDB Bank in Bagamoyo District, Coast Region.
In another development, for young people to fully engage in economic activities while they are maintaining their health, the bank sponsors the Federation Cup of the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) that features Premier League giants and clubs from second and third divisions. It also sponsors Taifa Cup, a domestic basketball tournament.
Further, the bank has also been sponsoring the Kizimkazi Ngalawa Race over the years. Malkia wa Nguvu and Kizimkazi festivals are other huge platforms that the bank supports wholeheartedly.
The bank sees its doubled growth in the future looking at the improved business and investment atmospheres in the country.
