TLG Capital has closed a US$15 million facility for Kijenge Animal Products, giving the long-running Arusha agro-processor the breathing room it’s been looking for. The deal, structured with CRDB Bank, refinances old debts and frees up working capital so production can finally get moving again.
It’s the sixth transaction TLG has executed this year, pushing the firm past US$250 million deployed since it opened its doors.
A strategic assist from Manufacturing Africa
One notable piece of the deal is the decision by both sides to bring in Manufacturing Africa — a UK FCDO-funded programme delivered by McKinsey, BDO and their partners.
The programme will help Kijenge rethink its operations, boost productivity, and expand its footprint across Tanzania’s agricultural value chain. In other words, it’s not just financial support; it’s hands-on strategic help at a moment when the company needs it most.
CRDB: “Exactly the kind of partnership we needed”
Abdulmajid Nsekela, Group CEO of CRDB Bank Plc, didn’t hold back when describing the collaboration.
“TLG’s creativity and flexibility in addressing challenges within our SME financing portfolio have been nothing short of exceptional,” he said.
He added that the structure TLG introduced is “truly innovative” and sets “a new benchmark for supporting SME growth across our markets.”
Nsekela said the bank is confident this will be the first of many impactful collaborations in Tanzania’s SME space, calling TLG’s approach “thoughtful, patient, and highly catalytic.”
TLG: “A chance to help this business breathe again”
For TLG Capital Partner Isha Doshi, the focus was simple: help stabilise a business that still has room to grow.
“We are proud to help this business breathe again,” she said.
Doshi explained that the partnership with CRDB was built around one goal — “structuring a facility to put oxygen back into a capital-constrained business.”
“With the strength of our structured capital and technical assistance partners, including Manufacturing Africa, Derrick and his team have a chance to increase capacity,” she said.
She added that the deal shows TLG’s “pragmatic partnership model designed to empower local entrepreneurs.”
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Kijenge CEO: “A turning point after more than 40 years”
For Kijenge’s CEO, Derrick Mollel, the financing represents something even bigger — a chance to reset.
“We needed breathing room, patient capital, and an investor who truly understood our needs and could deliver on them,” he said.
Mollel stressed that stabilising operations, scaling production and unlocking the company’s full potential wouldn’t have happened without TLG’s intervention.
“This partnership gives us the confidence to expand our team, support more smallholder farmers and rejuvenate the agricultural sector in and around Arusha,” he said.
Then came the line that says it all:
“After more than 40 years of operation, this financing marks a turning point for Kijenge and the impact we are able to create.”
He added that it doesn’t just restart production lines — it lets the company invest for the long term and “realise the full measure of our capabilities.”
Deal advisers
Legal advisers included RIVE & Co and Hannaford Turner for TLG Capital.
Kijenge was advised by AfriCapital and DCG.
TLG’s deal team was made up of Christian Rezek and Aum Thacker.
