STANBIC BANK TANZANIA PUSHES AFRICAN-LED FINANCE TO UNLOCK THE REGION’S INFRASTRUCTURE POTENTIAL

Stanbic Bank Tanzania Chief Executive, Manzi Rwegasira (right), speaks during the Africa50 conference at a panel discussion titled “Pace Setters: African-Designed, African-Led.”

DAR ES SALAAM - August 11, 2026: Africa must make greater use of its own capital, strengthen regional partnerships and deepen domestic financial markets if it is to close its infrastructure financing gap and achieve long-term economic growth, Stanbic Bank Tanzania has said.

The message emerged strongly during the two-day Africa50 Annual General Shareholders Meeting and Africa Infrastructure Forum held in Dar es Salaam, bringing together political leaders, financiers, development experts and other stakeholders to discuss how African institutions can take a greater role in financing the continent’s development at a time when global investment is becoming increasingly selective.

Speaking during the plenary session titled “Pace Setters: African-Designed, African-Led,” Stanbic Bank Tanzania Chief Executive, Mr Manzi Rwegasira, said Africa already has strong financial institutions, but the priority now is to scale up their capacity to meet the continent’s growing infrastructure needs.

“All the good answers will be given, but I think it boils down to scale. We need to think about how we can scale up what we already have on this continent,” Mr Rwegasira said.

While acknowledging the important contribution of institutions such as the African Development Bank and Africa50, he said these institutions alone cannot finance Africa’s infrastructure ambitions.

He instead called for greater mobilisation of domestic resources, particularly through stronger local capital markets capable of supporting long-term investments.

“We need to make better use of our national domestic bond markets. They’re still too shallow and too small. We need to make them bigger,” he said.

REGIONAL COOPERATION KEY TO MOBILISING CAPITAL

Mr Rwegasira also identified regional cooperation as a critical pillar for unlocking larger pools of capital, saying African countries must move beyond working in isolation.

“Maybe regional cooperation is where we can start. We need to work together in collaboration to bring the capital that we have to bear,” he said.

He further highlighted innovative financing models, including securitisation and infrastructure asset recycling, as potential mechanisms for governments to unlock additional investment without relying solely on new sources of capital.

“Securitisation allows you to recycle the same capital that we have. If we can recycle infrastructure assets, we can use what has already been built to finance new infrastructure,” he said.

The discussions reflected the forum’s broader objective of advancing an African-led financing model under the proposed New African Financial Architecture for Development (NAFAD), which seeks to bring together the strengths of African banks, sovereign investors, insurers, development finance institutions and governments to finance infrastructure at scale.

PARTNERSHIPS CRITICAL FOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, Stanbic Bank Tanzania Head of Corporate and Investment Banking, Ms Ester Manase, said the forum demonstrated that partnerships remain one of the most important ingredients for delivering transformative infrastructure across Africa.

“This conference has been extremely beneficial for us as a bank because it has brought together key stakeholders who are committed to supporting infrastructure development across the continent,” she said.

Ms Manase said infrastructure plays a fundamental role in unlocking economic potential by facilitating the movement of agricultural produce and other goods, supporting imports and exports, and creating an environment for broader economic development.

“We believe infrastructure helps unlock the economy. It makes it easier to move agricultural produce and other goods, facilitates imports and exports, and supports overall economic development,” she said.

She said the biggest lesson from the two-day meeting was the importance of collaboration among commercial banks, development finance institutions, insurers, governments and private investors.

“The biggest takeaway for me is collaboration. Every stakeholder has an important role to play, but none of us can achieve these ambitions alone,” she said.

Ms Manase explained that while commercial banks play an important role in infrastructure financing, many infrastructure projects require patient, long-term capital that can only be mobilised through partnerships with development finance institutions and institutional investors.

“Commercial banks can only support infrastructure financing to a certain extent. Because these are long-term investments, we need development finance institutions, insurance companies and both the public and private sectors to work together,” she said.

TANZANIA WELL POSITIONED AS REGIONAL LOGISTICS HUB

Ms Manase also highlighted Tanzania’s strategic position and its potential to become a major logistics gateway for East and Central Africa, supported by continued investment in ports, the Standard Gauge Railway and road infrastructure.

“Tanzania is in a very strategic location. We have eight neighbouring countries, six of which are landlocked. That gives us a unique opportunity to become the region’s hub,” she said.

The country’s geographical position, combined with infrastructure development and connectivity investments, provides an opportunity to strengthen Tanzania’s role in regional trade and supply chains while supporting economic integration across neighbouring markets.

INFRASTRUCTURE MUST IMPROVE PEOPLE’S LIVES

Former President Dr Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, who also addressed the forum, said infrastructure financing must ultimately translate into improved livelihoods and should therefore be accompanied by equal investment in human capital.

He said Africa’s expanding youth population could become one of the continent’s greatest economic advantages if governments invest adequately in quality education, skills development and employment opportunities.

Dr Kikwete stressed that roads, railways and energy projects should not be viewed as development outcomes on their own, but rather as enablers of productivity, business growth and shared prosperity.

The discussions at the Africa Infrastructure Forum therefore underscored a common message: Africa’s infrastructure ambitions require African capital, stronger regional cooperation, innovative financing and partnerships across the public and private sectors.

For Tanzania, the opportunity is particularly significant as the country continues to invest in strategic transport infrastructure and seeks to strengthen its position as a regional trade and logistics hub.

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