By Business Insider Correspondent, Arusha
Tanzania’s young agripreneurs are set to gain fresh momentum as the East African Community (EAC) urges partner states to unlock affordable financing and enact policy reforms that will ease entry into the region’s growing agri-food economy.
The call – made during the East African Youth in Agri-Food Systems Expo 2025 (EAYASE 2025) in Nairobi – aims to dismantle one of the biggest barriers facing young Tanzanian entrepreneurs: lack of flexible, accessible capital to start or scale agribusiness ventures.
Organised by the EAC in partnership with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), the Expo brought together hundreds of youth agripreneurs, investors, policymakers and technology innovators. For Tanzanian youth, the event offered a rare platform for networking, pitching ideas, accessing mentorship and discovering market opportunities across borders.
How the new push benefits Tanzanian youth
Key recommendations emerging from the Expo directly address the challenges Tanzanian youth frequently face in agribusiness – high loan collateral demands, limited access to modern farming technology, and weak linkages to markets and value chains.
Under the new proposals, banks and microfinance institutions will be encouraged to design youth-friendly loan products, with lower interest rates and flexible guarantees, giving young Tanzanians a realistic chance to invest in production, processing, value addition and agri-tech startups.
Governments will be under obligation to provide tax exemptions and targeted incentives could significantly reduce the cost of acquiring farm machinery, greenhouse equipment, irrigation tools and digital technologies – tools that often remain out of reach for first-time youth entrepreneurs.
According to a statement released by EAC, the strengthened policy frameworks will push for integration of climate-smart technologies such as drones, precision agriculture tools and digital marketplaces, enabling Tanzanian youth to modernise their operations and compete regionally.
A proposed regional flagship programme for youth in agribusiness will offer Tanzanians access to training, financing windows, incubation centres and cross-border business partnerships.
The EAC Secretariat and AGRA were also urged to establish the EAYASE Network of Youth Champions, a mentorship and innovation pipeline expected to expose young innovators – including many from Tanzania – to long-term skills development, funding opportunities and investment matchmaking.
A growing regional platform for Tanzanian innovators
Delegates at the Expo recommended institutionalising the annual gathering into a permanent platform. For Tanzania, this means predictable access to markets, investors and technology partners – opportunities that young agripreneurs often lack at home.
During the opening session, EAC Deputy Secretary General Andrea Ariik emphasised that agriculture remains the backbone of the region’s economy, yet young people continue to face obstacles in accessing capital, markets and technical skills.
“Limited access to finance, markets and technical skills remains a major obstacle for our young people. This is why youth empowerment is at the centre of the EAC Youth Strategy,” Ariik said.
For Tanzania – where youth make up more than 60 percent of the population and unemployment remains a persistent challenge – the renewed focus on agribusiness presents a viable path for job creation and wealth generation.
Innovation: The future of East African agribusiness
Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture representative, Dr. Peter Orangi, praised youth across the region for transforming agriculture through technology – an important signal for Tanzanian innovators seeking to digitalise food production and supply chains.
FAO Senior Economist Joel Imitira highlighted digital agriculture as a key tool for solving market access challenges, while AGRA’s Boaz Keizire announced the rollout of a Youth Performance Index to track progress on empowerment – data expected to guide future investment and reforms in Tanzania.
Betty Kibaara of the Rockefeller Foundation urged young Africans to embrace agribusiness, stressing that success will require resilience, creativity and long-term planning.
A Turning point for Tanzania’s youth
As calls for affordable financing grow louder, Tanzania stands to benefit from coordinated regional policy shifts that prioritise youth inclusion in agricultural value chains. If implemented, the reforms discussed at EAYASE 2025 could open the door for thousands of young Tanzanians to build sustainable agribusiness ventures – from smart farming startups to agro-processing enterprises and export-ready value chains. With access to capital, modern tools and mentorship finally on the regional agenda, Tanzania’s next generation of agripreneurs may soon find themselves at the centre of East Africa’s evolving food systems.
