The Trade and Development Bank Group (TDB Group) marked its 40th anniversary earlier this month with 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 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.
TDB Group was represented by Admassu Tadesse, the 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.
TDB was established in 1985 by the Member States of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and has since evolved into a specialised African regional development finance group, with an expanded geographical footprint that spans every African sub-region, and several strategic business units and subsidiaries. Over the years, the Group has become increasingly purpose-built to respond to the continent’s expanding development imperatives with greater efficiency, innovation and impact, emerging as a significant force in Africa’s home-grown development financing efforts.
The Republic of Uganda, one of TDB Group’s founding member states, has been a key beneficiary of the Bank’s development financing. Since its inception, the TDB Group has invested close to USD 1 billion in Uganda across priority sectors, including energy, agribusiness, manufacturing, infrastructure, banking and financial services, and healthcare.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Ggoobi commended TDB Group’s institutional evolution and enduring development impact. “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,” Dr. Ggoobi said.
At the event during which TDB Group’s 40th Anniversary Coffee Table Book was launched, Ms. Kamari 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 are 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.