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| NMB Bank Plc’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Ruth Zaipuna, delivering the keynote address at the Cambridge Africa Business Conference 2026 at the University of Cambridge, where she presented NMB’s transformation journey and its contribution to Tanzania’s economy. |
At the Cambridge Africa Business Conference 2026, Ruth Zaipuna, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of NMB Bank, outlined the next stage of Africa’s growth as one that will rely on trusted institutions, long-term capital, and integrated systems.
She shared Tanzania’s banking sector transformation story during a session organized by the Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, under the theme “Building Africa’s Future: Capital, Innovation, and Inclusive Growth for the Continent.”
Speaking at the conference, Zaipuna pointed to NMB’s own journey as an example of an African institution capable of attracting capital, spurring innovation, and building trust.
“Africa’s future will not be delivered to us by others; it will be built by us through integrated systems, trusted institutions, and a discipline of delivering positive and sustainable outcomes for generations to come,” she said.
Zaipuna detailed NMB’s evolution from 97 branches, about 600,000 customers, and deposits of TZS 150 billion in 1997, to serving more than 10 million customers today. Between 2021 and 2025, the bank invested over TZS 230 billion in digital infrastructure, system security, automation technologies, and data analytics capabilities. Today, more than 98% of all transactions are conducted outside branches through digital and alternative channels.
During the same panel, Eghosa Giwa Osaige, Structured Finance Expert from the African Development Bank (AfDB), emphasized that strengthening trust and reducing risk costs are crucial to increasing capital flows into Africa.
Jumai Hadiza Mohammed, Investment Director at British International Investment (BII), noted that NMB’s social and sustainability bonds offer a strong example to other African banks on how innovation, partnerships, and capital markets can unlock investment at scale.