TDB Group celebrates 40 years of advancing African sustainable development

__________________

The Trade and Development Bank Group (TDB Group) marked its 40th anniversary earlier this month during a high-level commemorative cocktail reception at the Kampala Serena Hotel, in Uganda, celebrating four decades of advancing trade, regional integration and sustainable development across Africa.

The event brought together senior government officials, captains of the industry, development partners, and private-sector leaders.

The keynote address was delivered by Dr Ramathan Ggoobi, Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury at Uganda’s Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.

“This milestone is not merely a commemoration; it is a moment to reflect on TDB Group’s institutional evolution and enduring commitment to Africa’s development. From its beginnings as PTA Bank, TDB Group has grown into a world-class development finance institution central to regional integration,” Ggoobi said of TDB Group’s institutional evolution and enduring development impact.

TDB Group was represented by Admassu Tadesse, TDB Group President and Managing Director, Wegoki Menan, TDB Group Chief Operating Officer for East Africa, and Mary Kamari, Trade and Development Fund (TDF) Executive Director and TDB Group Executive, among others.

​At the event during which TDB Group’s 40th Anniversary Coffee Table Book was launched, Mary Kamari, Executive Director of the Trade and Development Fund and TDB Group Executive, remarked: “In a fast-moving operating environment, and often distracting digital world, TDB Group has remained a strategic communicator. Our 40th Anniversary Coffee Table Book allows us to tell our journey of impact with depth and purpose, from our humble beginnings, to the reforms undertaken over the past decade, and our transformation into a Group with a balance sheet exceeding USD 10 billion.”

The ruby anniversary celebrations were held under the theme “Innovating Solutions to Accelerate Sustainable Development”, reflecting TDB Group’s core purpose and operating principle.

As the Group enters its fifth decade, it will continue to strengthen its role as a catalyst for scaling up development financing, fostering regional economic integration, and supporting sustainable growth across Africa, including in and with Uganda.

TDB was established in 1985 by the Member States of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and has since then evolved into a specialised African regional development finance group, with an expanded geographical footprint which spans every African sub-region and several strategic business units and subsidiaries.

Uganda, one of TDB Group’s founding member states, has been a key beneficiary of the Bank’s development financing. Since its inception, TDB Group has injected close to USD 1 billion into Uganda across priority sectors, including energy, agribusiness, manufacturing, infrastructure, banking and financial services, and health.