Advocacy / Sustainable Finance Principles
Sustainable Finance Principles — Tanzania’s CEO-led framework for responsible finance.
2019
SFPs established with IUCN & TBA
4 yrs
Of engagement with regulatory bodies
3
Partner institutions: IUCN, TBA & WWF
2
Green Finance Toolkits published
In 2019 the CEO Roundtable of Tanzania partnered with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Tanzania Bankers Association (TBA) to establish the Sustainable Finance Principles (SFPs) — a framework that puts environmental and social responsibility at the heart of how Tanzania’s financial sector operates.
“Businesses use biodiversity and can have a significant impact on the environment by adopting and mainstreaming sustainable practices.”
Progress so far
Regulators engaged
The CEOrt has engaged regulatory bodies over four years to enhance adoption of the Principles across the financial sector.
Sector awareness
In collaboration with the World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Tanzania Bankers Association has conducted awareness efforts supporting banking-sector adoption.
Toolkits in the field
Two Green Finance Campaign toolkits, developed with IUCN support, were published in 2025 to help businesses access sustainable finance.
30% of members
Have started the journey to carbon neutrality by 2030 — evidence that sustainable finance is changing behaviour at the top of Tanzanian business.
The core principles
Six commitments that translate the framework into daily practice for Tanzania’s financial institutions.
Manage environmental & social risk
Raise financial sector awareness of environmental and social risks, and embed their assessment in every lending and investment decision.
Integrate ESG requirements
Promote sustainable finance practices by building environmental, social and governance requirements into products, policies and portfolios.
Be transparent
Increase transparency in environmental and social management, so that clients, regulators and the public can see how finance behaves.
Reinforce stakeholder confidence
Strengthen trust in the financial sector — among depositors, investors, regulators and the communities banks serve.
Finance the green transition
Grow lending that supports climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy and businesses that at minimum do not harm people or the planet.
Build sector capability
Develop the skills, tools and case evidence — from toolkits to peer learning — that make sustainable finance practical for Tanzanian institutions.
Case studies
Published case study
Suhara — a business sustainability journey
A CEOrt Business Sustainability Agenda case study documenting how a Tanzanian enterprise embedded sustainable practices into its operations and financing, published in February 2025.
Read the case study (PDF)Research partnership
CEOrt x REPOA business sustainability study
A joint study with REPOA examining business sustainability across the membership — building the evidence base that underpins the Principles and the wider sustainability agenda.
View the study brochure (PDF)From the banking sector
A lender rethinks its credit process
A Dar es Salaam commercial bank — an early adopter among TBA members — introduced environmental and social screening into its credit approvals, extending green lending into agriculture while reducing exposure to unsustainable activities.
Adopt the Principles
If your institution is ready to embed the Sustainable Finance Principles — or you want to support the next phase of adoption alongside IUCN, TBA and WWF — the CEOrt Secretariat will guide you through the process.