Juma Msafiri
In a continent where over 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land lies dormant, and yet hunger and food insecurity persist, a new chapter is unfolding in East Africa that may well offer a transformative solution. The Agricultural Growth Corridors of Tanzania (AGCOT) initiative, launched officially in April 2025, is not just a continuation of the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT); it is a national awakening. AGCOT embodies the kind of homegrown, public-private strategy that Africa has long needed—one that draws from past declarations, acknowledges failures, and builds a pragmatic path forward for food system transformation.
From Maputo to Dodoma: Answering the Call of African Agriculture
It has been over two decades since African Union heads of state adopted the Maputo Declaration in 2003, committing their nations to allocate at least 10% of national budgets to agriculture and attain 6% annual growth in the sector. The declaration was followed by the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), a continental framework that emphasized agriculture as the foundation for economic development. Yet, despite these pledges, the continent has largely fallen short. National budgets have routinely underfunded agriculture. Investments have been fragmented. Rural infrastructure remains inadequate. And as a result, Africa continues to import over $60 billion worth of food annually, a paradox for a land so richly endowed with agricultural potential.
AGCOT is Tanzania’s bold response to these gaps. It is a model that operationalizes the Maputo vision—not in abstract policy terms, but through physical corridors, catalytic investments, and market systems that connect rural farmers to national, regional, and global value chains. Unlike many development frameworks that remain stuck in theoretical ambition, AGCOT is rooted in delivery, forged in the field, and shaped by experience.
The SAGCOT Legacy: Laying the Foundation
The story of AGCOT begins with its predecessor, the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT), launched in 2010 under the stewardship of then-President Jakaya Kikwete and then-Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda. Built on the Kilimo Kwanza (Agriculture First) policy, SAGCOT was envisioned as a catalyst for unlocking Tanzania’s agricultural potential through strategic public-private partnerships. It brought together government ministries, private investors, donor agencies, and smallholder farmers under a common vision.
Over 14 years, SAGCOT quietly reshaped Tanzania’s agricultural landscape. It helped facilitate over $1.3 billion in private sector investments. It mobilized smallholders into cooperatives, linked them to input providers and buyers, and enabled regional governments to prioritize infrastructure that supported production zones. According to government data, SAGCOT contributed more than 65% of the country’s food basket by 2023. It delivered impact—not just in theory but in the form of higher yields, increased farmer incomes, and more resilient rural economies.
What made SAGCOT particularly unique was its inclusive architecture. It was not a government department, nor a private company. It was a hybrid platform that convened stakeholders around a common goal and drove systemic change. AGCOT is now building on this legacy, scaling its model across new regions, new crops, and new ambitions.
AGCOT: A National Platform with Continental Promise
AGCOT is no longer confined to the southern highlands. It now encompasses four strategic growth corridors:
- The original SAGCOT Corridor (Morogoro, Iringa, Njombe, Mbeya, Songwe, Rukwa, Katavi, Dar es Salaam, Pwani)
- The Mtwara Corridor (Lindi, Mtwara, Ruvuma)
- The Central Corridor (Dodoma, Singida, Tabora, and the Lake Zone)
- The Northern Corridor (Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Manyara, and Tanga)
Each of these corridors has been mapped based on ecological suitability, infrastructure potential, and commodity competitiveness. The corridors are not just zones on a map—they are investment pathways, research hubs, logistics channels, and policy test beds. They are where agriculture moves from being a subsistence occupation to a competitive industry.
With the support of the African Development Bank and other partners, Tanzania is developing Special Agro-Processing Zones (SAPZs) within these corridors. These will serve as anchors for agro-industrialization—converting perishable produce into export-grade goods, reducing post-harvest losses, and creating value at source. It is this kind of ecosystem approach—linking production to processing, and rural areas to ports—that is critical if Africa is to escape its structural dependence on food imports.
The Presidential Commitment: From Vision to Action
The AGCOT initiative would not have materialized without the decisive leadership of H.E. President Samia Suluhu Hassan. On March 17, 2023, she issued a directive to transition the SAGCOT model into a national framework. This was not merely an administrative reform—it was a policy reorientation signaling that agriculture would no longer be a peripheral issue. It would be central to Tanzania’s economic transformation.
Her presence at the AGCOT pavilion on April 28, 2025—following the Prime Minister’s formal launch a day earlier—was both symbolic and strategic. She was briefed on AGCOT’s new structure, introduced to youth-led agribusinesses such as Get Aroma (spice aggregation) and Raha Vegetable Farm (tomato seedlings), and reaffirmed her government’s support for the initiative’s scale-up. Large investors like ASAS Dairies and Kisutu Winery were also showcased, demonstrating the spectrum of private sector engagement—from grassroots to large-scale processing.
In her remarks, the President emphasized the importance of extending AGCOT’s benefits to all regions, accelerating market infrastructure development, and ensuring that the corridor approach is embedded within Tanzania’s Agriculture Master Plan 2050. Her call for professionalism and speed underscored the urgency of delivery.
A Model for African Food Sovereignty
As the African continent grapples with climate shocks, geopolitical instability, and rising food import bills, AGCOT offers a roadmap for resilience. Its focus on corridor-based development aligns with continental strategies such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which requires harmonized production zones and integrated infrastructure to be effective.
Moreover, AGCOT is inherently inclusive. It does not treat agriculture as the domain of governments alone. It invites private companies, research institutions, cooperatives, and community groups to co-create solutions. Its governance model is non-partisan, ensuring that AGCOT remains a national asset—not a political tool.
This is where many African initiatives have stumbled. They have relied too heavily on public funding, overlooked the role of youth and women, or collapsed under the weight of bureaucratic inertia. AGCOT, by contrast, is designed to be nimble. Its corridors are living laboratories—adaptive, data-driven, and accountable.
The Way Forward: Implementation with Integrity
The launch of AGCOT is only the beginning. The success of this ambitious agenda will depend on several critical factors.
First, investment planning must be tailored to each corridor. Not every region can grow every crop. Ecological realities, market trends, and community readiness must shape what is prioritized.
Second, the Agriculture Transformation Office (ATO) must act as a strong coordinating body—aligning budget lines, tracking results, and removing bottlenecks. This office should be sufficiently empowered to ensure that AGCOT corridors do not become disconnected silos.
Third, Tanzania must uphold AGCOT’s neutral posture. It should remain a multi-stakeholder platform, serving farmers, investors, and policymakers alike. It must not be absorbed into a ministry or dominated by a single interest group.
Finally, development partners must shift from short-term projects to long-term systems building. AGCOT offers a clear structure for impact. It deserves predictable financing, capacity-building support, and regional alignment.
Tanzania’s Time to Lead
With AGCOT, Tanzania has positioned itself not just as a beneficiary of agricultural development, but as a leader of it. It is demonstrating that Africa’s food systems can be transformed—not by chance, but by choice; not by slogans, but by strategy.
AGCOT is not perfect. It will face challenges. But it is a serious effort to align policy with people, ambition with action. It brings to life the Maputo promises and reflects the spirit of CAADP. And if it succeeds, it will not only feed Tanzania. It will nourish a continental vision.
In the words of its own slogan: AGCOT—Fostering Sustainable Agriculture, Feeding Africa and the World.