AGCOT/SIDO Agro-Industrial Partnership to Empower Youth and Women Entrepreneurs

AGCOT/SIDO Agro-Industrial Partnership to Empower Youth and Women Entrepreneurs

Dar es Salaam & Dodoma, June 12, 2025 — AGCOT Centre Ltd and the Small Industries Development Organisation (SIDO) have signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to unleash new investment, strengthen value chains, and empower youth- and women-led enterprises across four key Agricultural Growth Corridors of Tanzania.

A Synergy of Strengths

Signed by AGCOT CEO Geoffrey I. Kirenga and SIDO Director General Eng. Prof. Sylvester M. Mpanduji, the MoU combines ACL’s corridor-wide coordination with SIDO’s deep grassroots reach. Covering the Northern, Central, Mtwara and SAGCOT corridors, the partnership addresses Tanzania’s urgent need for inclusive, sustainable agro-industrial growth.

“This partnership with SIDO reinforces our shared vision of enabling youth-led agribusiness SMEs to grow, scale and integrate into structured markets,” said Kirenga. “The impact will be tangible on the ground.”

“This MoU with AGCOT is timely and essential,” added Prof. Mpanduji. “SIDO’s infrastructure and enterprise-development expertise, paired with AGCOT’s value-chain network, will make a real difference for young entrepreneurs and women across our regions.”

Five Strategic Pillars for Transformation

1. Finance & Investment Mobilisation
   – Launch of a matching-grant facility, concessional loans and blended-finance instruments.
   – Risk mitigation and guarantee schemes to de-risk private investment in agro-MMSMEs.
2. Enterprise Development & Market Linkages
   – Joint incubation and acceleration services for business planning, certification and export readiness.
   – Access to domestic and AfCFTA markets through investor forums and digital platforms.
3. Inclusive, Climate-Smart Value Chains
   – Support for agro-processing hubs, storage and logistics in priority clusters (maize, rice, horticulture).
   – Integration of climate-smart tools—solar dryers, efficient irrigation—to boost resilience.
4. Capacity Building & Innovation
   – Coordinated training on agronomic best practices, digital tools and compliance standards.
   – Piloting of frontier technologies via CGIAR and agritech partnerships.
5. Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL)
   – Shared MEL framework tracking finance mobilised, yields improved, jobs created and gender/youth inclusion.
   – Baseline survey aiming for a 30% increase in women- and youth-led enterprises by 2030.

About AGCOT Centre

The AGCOT Centre (formerly SAGCOT Centre) is a jointly government- and private-sector-mandated coordinating body for Tanzania’s Agricultural Growth Corridors, facilitating collaboration and serving as a neutral facilitator between public and private stakeholders. Through value-chain platforms, commodity compacts and green-growth tools, it catalyses private-sector investment while championing environmental stewardship.

About SIDO

The Small Industries Development Organisation (SIDO) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, established to train entrepreneurs, deliver processing technologies and extend finance and advisory services to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises nationwide.