From SAGCOT to AGCOT: Tanzania Charts New Agricultural Future Across Four Growth Corridors

By Charles Mwangi

From SAGCOT to AGCOT: Tanzania Charts New Agricultural Future Across Four Growth CorridorsDODOMA, TANZANIA | May 2025Tanzania has officially launched four new Agricultural Growth Corridors under the national banner of AGCOT (Agriculture Growth Corridors of Tanzania), marking a historic expansion of its agricultural transformation agenda.

The move, announced by Minister of Agriculture Hon. Hussein Mohamed Bashe (MP) during the reading of the 2025/2026 Agriculture Budget, elevates the concept pioneered by the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) into a nationwide strategy designed to boost productivity, value addition, and export competitiveness across diverse agro-ecological zones.

“In the 2024/2025 financial year, the Ministry established four (4) Agricultural Growth Corridors of Tanzania (AGCOT), launched by Hon. Kassim Majaliwa Majaliwa (MP), Prime Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania, on April 27, 2025,” the Minister declared in Parliament.

The newly established Agriculture Transformation Office (ato) will coordinate the four corridors—Central, Southern, Mtwara, and Northern. Each corridor will serve as a hub for integrating smart farming technologies, enhancing access to markets, facilitating agribusiness finance, and driving sustainable production practices.

According to the budget speech (Paragraph 180), the government will allocate direct funds to operationalize these corridors, which are expected to significantly:- Increase crop productivity and yields- Improve access to both local and export markets- Promote investment in agro-processing and value addition- Expand the distribution of quality inputs such as seeds and fertilizerThe SAGCOT Centre, previously tasked with piloting the Southern Corridor, will now become part of the broader AGCOT framework under the oversight of ATO.

As stated in the budget:“SAGCOT itakuwa sehemu ya AGCOT chini ya usimamizi wa ATO.” This strategic shift aligns with Tanzania’s Agriculture Master Plan 2050 and responds to continental targets under the African Union’s CAADP 2026–2035 agenda.

It signals the government’s intention to graduate from fragmented agricultural projects into a cohesive, corridor-based system capable of transforming rural economies at scale.

Stakeholders in the agriculture sector, including private investors, farmers’ organisations, and development partners, have been urged to rally behind the AGCOT framework to catalyse inclusive and sustainable growth.

As Tanzania eyes agricultural exports worth over USD 5 billion by 2030, the corridors will be central in building infrastructure, attracting value chain investment, and creating dignified jobs for youth and women nationwide.

The AGCOT corridors are more than geographic zones—they are the new arteries of Tanzania’s agri-industrial future.