100Africa.com Reporter
Tanzania is buzzing—fields, markets, and villages alike—because the nation’s agricultural heartbeat just got louder. The Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) isn’t just growing; it’s exploding into the Agricultural Growth Corridors of Tanzania (AGCOT), a seismic shift that’s rewriting the future of food, farming, and prosperity across the country. This isn’t a quiet policy tweak—it’s one of the biggest story sweeping Tanzania in 2025, and it’s happening now.
SAGCOT has been the titan of Tanzania’s Southern Highlands for over a decade. Launched in 2011 under the Kilimo Kwanza (Agriculture First) Vision, it turned a sprawling region into the nation’s food engine, churning out over 65% of what Tanzanians eat. It started with a spark—former President Jakaya Kikwete pitching the dream at Davos, followed by then-Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda planting the flag in Dar es Salaam. The Investment Blueprint that came with it wasn’t just a plan; it was a call to action, uniting government, businesses, and farmers to unlock a goldmine of potential.
The SAGCOT Centre became the maestro of this transformation, orchestrating a symphony of private investment, public willpower, and rural grit. It delivered—big time. Goals set for 2030? Smashed years early. But success bred ambition. Voices from the Mtwara, Central, and Northern corridors rose up, demanding a piece of the action: Why should the south have all the glory? Tanzania listened.
Enter March 17, 2023. President Samia Suluhu Hassan strode into the State House spotlight in Dar es Salaam, launching the African Food Systems Platform and dropping a bombshell: SAGCOT’s playbook was going nationwide. She unveiled the Presidential Food and Agriculture Delivery Council—chaired by Mizengo Pinda, with the SAGCOT Centre’s CEO at the table—and gave a directive that’s still echoing: Take this revolution everywhere. AGCOT was born, a coast-to-coast vision to lift every farmer, feed every family, and power Tanzania’s rise.
By April 19, 2024, the momentum was unstoppable. Agriculture Minister Hussein Bashe rallied the nation in a landmark consultation, mapping out AGCOT’s next steps. The Mtwara, Central, and Northern corridors aren’t just joining the party—they’re getting custom blueprints, tailored to their soils, crops, and dreams. Clusters of opportunity are sprouting, from rice paddies to livestock trails, each one a lifeline for local farmers. This is SAGCOT’s magic, supercharged and spread wide.
AGCOT isn’t messing around. It’s keeping the soul of SAGCOT alive—food security, thriving smallholders, sustainability—while cranking up the volume. Cluster compacts, commodity deals, and the Mkulima kwa Mkulima Initiative are linking farmers to markets like never before. It’s not just about crops; it’s livestock, fisheries, energy, roads—the whole ecosystem. Aligned with Tanzania’s bold Vision 2050 and the new Agriculture Master Plan, AGCOT is the backbone of a modern food system that doesn’t leave anyone behind.
The SAGCOT Centre has shed its old skin, stepping into 2025 as the AGCOT Centre. It’s not resting on laurels—it’s fighting for a Tanzania where farming isn’t just survival, but power. Policies are shifting, knowledge is flowing, and investments are pouring in to make the value chain hum like a well-oiled machine.
This is Tanzania’s moment. From Morogoro to Mtwara, from Arusha to Iringa, AGCOT is a rallying cry—a promise that every farmer matters, every harvest counts. It’s unusual business with a radical edge: a nation betting on its land and its people to build a future that’s greener, fuller, and prouder than ever.