Tanzanian agritech startup Kilimo BaNDO is transforming the agricultural sector by providing smallholder farmers with seamless access to essential services. Through its digital marketplace, the platform bridges gaps in financing, market linkages, and input availability, addressing inefficiencies that have long hindered agricultural productivity and profitability in the country.
Founded by Bizy Tech in 2015, Kilimo BaNDO is part of a suite of solutions aimed at digitizing agriculture in Tanzania. Among its offerings, Kilimo Bora provides agronomy advice, while Kilimo Akiba, Kilimo MKopa, and Kilimo Bina offer financial services. Kilimo Soko facilitates market access, ensuring that farmers can efficiently sell their produce.
Rahim Shoo, Chief of Product and Business Development, highlighted the pressing challenges that inspired the platform’s creation. “We identified inefficiencies in access to quality inputs, timely financing, and reliable market linkages for over nine million smallholder farmers in Tanzania. Existing solutions are fragmented and lack scalability, making our platform uniquely positioned to bridge this gap,” he said.
Kilimo BaNDO has already gained significant traction, with 1.8 million farmers actively utilizing its infrastructure for financial services and input procurement. “Adoption is accelerating as we continue expanding our network of agro-dealers, financial institutions, and rural agents,” Shoo added.
The startup has secured funding from various sources, including grants, debt financing, and strategic partnerships with organizations such as the MasterCard Foundation, CRDB Bank, UNDP Funguo Catalytic Fund, UNCDF Tanzania, and the GSMA Innovation Fund. With an ambitious growth trajectory, Kilimo BaNDO plans to scale its services beyond Tanzania, targeting expansion into neighboring Great Lakes countries and eventually across Sub-Saharan Africa.
On the financial front, the company generates revenue through subscription fees for its Kilimo Bora and AgriMerchant services, transaction-based input sales, and revenue-sharing agreements with financial institutions. “Our revenues are steadily increasing as we scale operations, and we anticipate reaching profitability within the next nine months following the completion of our planned fundraising,” Shoo noted.
With its innovative approach, Kilimo BaNDO is poised to play a critical role in strengthening Tanzania’s agricultural ecosystem and enhancing the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers.
