KCB BANK TANZANIA BIASHARA CLUB WORKSHOP A GODSEND FOR ARUSHA TOUR OPERATORS

Head of Marketing and Corporate Affairs KCB Bank  Ms. Christine Manyenye,   answers questions from Arusha tour operators business owners and executives during the KCB Bank Biashara Club Workshop held at the Mt. Meru Hotel in Arusha on 05th March 2019. The event was attended by more that 250 business owners had special emphasis on the tourism industry bringing in stakeholders like Tanzania National Parks Agency (TANAPA), Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) and East Africa Business Council (EABC) to deliberate on ways to move the tourism industry forward for the benefit of stakeholders, tourists and the industry as a whole.

Marketing Executive for Tanzania National Parks Agency (TANAPA), Mr. Ernest Jackinda speaks to invited guests at the KCB Bank Biashara Club Workshop held at the Mt. Meru Hotel in Arusha on 05th March 2019. The event was attended by more that 250 business owners had special emphasis on the tourism industry bringing in stakeholders like Tanzania National Parks Agency (TANAPA), Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) and East Africa Business Council (EABC) to deliberate on ways to move the tourism industry forward for the benefit of stakeholders, tourists and the industry as a whole.

Head of Retail Banking  KCB Bank Mr. Masika Mukele,  speaks with guests during the one-on-one session at the KCB Bank Biashara Club Workshop held at the Mt. Meru Hotel in Arusha on 05th March 2019. The event was attended by more that 250 business owners had special emphasis on the tourism industry bringing in stakeholders like Tanzania National Parks Agency (TANAPA), Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) and East Africa Business Council (EABC) to deliberate on ways to move the tourism industry forward for the benefit of stakeholders, tourists and the industry as a whole.

The KCB Biashara Club is a forum designed specifically for SME customers to provide a platform to interact amongst themselves, facilitate training on different techniques of doing business and give them exposure to other businesses and suppliers inside and outside Tanzania.Since its inception, KCB Biashara Club has continued to provide much valued and needed support in developing the Tanzanian SME sector through enterprise development services and skill development in business management.

The Arusha workshop held at the Mt. Meru Hotel on the 05th March 2019, is unique in its focus on the tourism industry as it was moulded specially around needs of the region’s tour operators. Also in a first of its own, the workshop was held in two sessions, a closed session for over 250 of the bank’s customers and thereafter an open invitation session for the general public aimed to address the stigma towards the banking industry.

In her opening remarks KCB Bank Head of Marketing & Corporate Affairs, Ms. Christine Manyenye said the bank made deliberate efforts to bring in stakeholders like Tanzania National Parks Agency (TANAPA), Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), Tanzania Association of ToOperators (TATO) and East Africa Business Council (EABC) to deliberate on ways to move the tourism industry forward for the benefit of stakeholders, tourists and the industry as a whole.

Speaking at the event, KCB Bank, Arusha Main Branch Manager, Ms Judith Lubuva lauded the attending business executives and general public for taking time to attend the workshop. She also said that the workshop was aptly timed as the tourism industry in the region continued to stabilise and further incline towards a boom in the future.

Mr. Abdul Juma, KCB Bank Head of SME & Mortgage spoke on the different opportunities offered by the Biashara Club which included networking with other business executives in and outside of Tanzania, opening new markets through group business trips to countries like China, Malaysia and South Africa all organised by the Biashara Club trips.

 Mr. Juma affirmed KCB Banks commitment to the tourism sector by the introduction of the Tour Operator Account which allows e-payments into the account as well as added perks like free internet banking and free cash withdrawals. Mr. Ombeni Urio, a representative from Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) brought in by KCB Bank Tanzania was the workshop’s main facilitator on tax regulations and payment procedures.

He urged vigilance in adherence to the country’s tax regulations remarking,“You cannot adhere to what you do not understand, but that is why KCB Bank has brought me here.” About KCB Bank KCB Bank Group is Eastern Africa’s largest commercial Bank that was established in 1896 in Zanzibar. Over the years, the Bank has grown and spread its wings in 6 countries including Tanzania, Kenya,South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Ethiopia (Representative office).

Today KCB Bank Group has the largest network in the region with over 262 branches, 962 ATMs and 15,000 agents offering banking services on a 24/7 basis. KCB Bank Group is listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange, Uganda Securities Exchange, Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange and the Rwanda Stock Exchange. The Group also owns KCB Insurance Agency, KCB Capital and KCB Foundation