TANZANIA has acknowledged the contribution of the Bank of Africa (BOA) in supporting the country's agriculture and minerals, among other key productive sectors.

The Bank whose permanent seat is in Rabbat, Morocco has been supporting Tanzania in management expertise, technological and financial resources.

This was revealed by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa during his working visit in Morocco aimed at strengthening existing bilateral ties.

"Presence of BOA in Tanzania has enabled a good number of citizens to access loans and various financial services being offered by the bank. "On behalf of President SamiaSuluhu Hassan, we are so grateful for the initiative taken by the bank," said Mr Majaliwa when he met with the BOA bank President Othman Benjelloun in Rabat.

Among other sectors which have benefitted from the extensive service offered by BOA bank include education and livestock. The Premier also suggested the need of BOA bank to grow their branch networks and develop innovative products with the ultimate aim of bringing affordable and convenient services to Tanzanians.

With a network of 25 branches across 10 regions in Tanzania, BOA is among the top 10 banks in the local market. As of the third quarter of 2020, BOA grew its total balance sheet size by 23 percent with impressive profitability which defied the global Coronavirus outbreak.

As part of deepening the country's policy on economic diplomacy and enhancing ease of doing business, the Prime Minister pledged to organise a forum that will bring together members of the private sector and the bank's management and strengthen the cooperation in serving Tanzanians.

On his part, Mr Benjelloun said the bank is eyeing growing its investment in Tanzania while strengthening customer's confidence, hence promising to work even harder and deliver effectively.

"We are so ready to continue investing in priority areas outlined by the government of Tanzania with a goal to contribute further in building the economy," he said.

Accompanying the Primer at the meeting, the Minister for Agriculture Prof Adolf Mkenda suggested to the bank to put more weight in the growth of crops such as rice, tobacco, coffee and other cash crops grown in the country. On her side, the Zanzibar's Tourism and Heritage Minister, Leila Muhamed Mussa invited Moroccan business community to come and invest in undeveloped shores in the isles.

According to, Zanzibar President Hussein Mwinyi, his government has opened doors for investor's to fully exploit blue economy resources, as part of the government's efforts to create jobs and drive economic growth in the country.

She also called upon the bank to support spice producers to increase their productivity. In further strengthening the two countries relations, when King Mohammed VI of Morocco visited the country in October 2016, former President the late John Magufuli asked the Moroccan King to help in the construction of the biggest mosque for the Muslim Council of Tanzania, BAKWATA, and a football pitch in the country's capital city, Dodoma.

On the sidelines of his State visit to Tanzania, King Mohammed VI pledged to build a mosque and an ultra modern soccer stadium in Dodoma. President Magufuli told local media, back then, that King Mohammed VI had agreed to build what would be Tanzania's biggest stadium, and an ultra-modern stadium in the city of Dodoma.

Copyright Tanzania Daily News. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com)., source News Service English