TANZANIA GENDER & BLUE ECONOMY - NMB BANK PLC

The project consists of a loan to NMB Bank Plc to support investments and working capital of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), including Midcaps.

The aim is to enhance access to finance for SMEs, Midcaps and co-operatives across various eligible sectors, with a particular focus on the blue economy and businesses managed or owned by women, thus also promoting gender equality and women's economic empowerment.

This operation will provide financing to NMB for on-lending to eligible private sector business, mostly SMEs but also Midcaps, with a focus on gender and blue economy sectors. This financing will contribute to improving access to credit to mostly SMEs, and especially in the two thematic sectors which suffer from constraint access to longer term financing. The Project will thus address the market failures of imperfect/asymmetric information that SMEs are confronted with when applying for finance, as well as environmental and climate externalities associated to the blue economy, for instance pollution reduction and protection of maritime life. Furthermore, the EIB support will address the issue of gender gaps in finance SMEs, support woman inclusion and their position in supply chains, including blue economy.

The project responds to a number of specialized national policies and planning frameworks focused on gender and blue economy, which are at the heart of the development and political agenda in Tanzania. The project is under the auspices of the EU external action, the Neighbourhood Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) and its Investment Framework that among others promotes the support to ACP private sector (IW4). Furthermore, the operation is aligned with the country's national development vision for 2025 and its implementation plan, as well as the EU Multiannual Indicative Program for the period 2021-2027. It will also contribute to several Sustainable Development Goals.

The operation will benefit from EIB's gender and blue economy technical expertise and financial structuring and potentially from EU financial support including technical assistance which will further address certain constraints limiting access to finance by SMEs operating in these underserved segments. 

Final beneficiaries will be requested to comply with applicable national and EU legislation, as appropriate.

Final beneficiaries will be requested to comply with applicable national and EU legislation, as appropriate.