CRDB Bank Foundation launches a campaign to connect small-scale entrepreneurs in the country with the IMBEJU program

The CRDB Bank Foundation has officially launched the special IMBEJU campaign, which aims to connect young people and women entrepreneurs in the country with the IMBEJU program. The launch event took place at CRDB Bank's headquarters and was attended by various leaders and partners of the program. Speaking at the event, the Director of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) at CRDB Bank, Bonaventura Paul, commended the CRDB Bank Foundation for initiating the campaign named ‘IMBEJU Empowerment,’ which aims to reach small-scale entrepreneurs across the country, particularly those in remote and rural areas. He noted that this initiative would not only help to enhance financial inclusion but also grow the entrepreneurship sector and the national economy as a whole. "Financial services play a significant role in economic development, which is why CRDB Bank has been at the forefront of designing products and services tailored to various community groups. We are proud to be part of this campaign run by our colleagues at the CRDB Bank Foundation, which we believe will increase inclusion for many women and young people, who make up the largest portion of entrepreneurs in the country," said Bonaventura. Furthermore, Bonaventura urged women and young entrepreneurs across the country to join the IMBEJU program to grow and improve their businesses. He mentioned that all 260 branches of CRDB Bank have a special window for this program. "Our goal is that after completing this program, they will be able to access support through their CRDB Bank, where our Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Department can provide loans of up to 3 billion shillings, depending on the repayment capacity of their businesses," he added. On his part, the Acting Executive Director of the CRDB Bank Foundation, Fadhil Bushagama, explained that the IMBEJU Empowerment campaign is part of the foundation’s efforts to enhance financial and economic inclusion to improve the lives of young people and women entrepreneurs. "The IMBEJU program has brought about significant changes in promoting financial inclusion, where more than 600,000 women and young entrepreneurs have been reached, and over 11 billion shillings in capital support has been provided," said Bushagama. Bushagama stated that the first phase of the 'IMBEJU Empowerment' campaign is expected to start in the Southern Highlands Zone, covering the regions of Mbeya, Songwe, Ruvuma, Njombe, Katavi, and Rukwa, where more than 12,000 entrepreneurs and 1,000 entrepreneurial groups are expected to be reached. "Our team from the Headquarters, in collaboration with our CRDB Bank branches in those regions, as well as Community Development Officers, will work together to provide financial education, business, and entrepreneurship training. After that, we will move to the Southern Zone and the Central Zone," Bushagama added. Expressing gratitude to the partners of the IMBEJU program, Bushagama thanked the government under the leadership of Her Excellency President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan for setting policies and enabling environments for youth and women empowerment in the country. He said the government, through the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women, Children, and Special Groups, along with the Ministry of Regional Administration and Local Government (TAMISEMI), has been a close partner in implementing the IMBEJU program.