From the margins to the mainstream

E VERY city quietly runs on two systems at once. One is visible in motion, women opening small businesses before sunrise, traders arranging vegetables in crowded markets, mothers balancing household responsibilities while trying to grow an income from tailoring, farming or food vending.

Survival decisions are made there every day, in real time. The other system is quieter. It exists behind office doors and inside council chambers where budgets, plans and development priorities are discussed and approved. For years, the distance between those two worlds has remained wide for many Tanzanian women trying to build stable livelihoods. But in Dodoma, efforts are now underway to close that gap.

That intention shaped a working session held over the weekend between the Minister for Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups, Dr Dorothy Gwajima, councillors and leaders of Women’s Economic Empowerment Platforms.

At the centre of the discussions was a call to ensure women’s economic empowerment becomes part of council planning and budgeting systems rather than remaining a collection of isolated programmes. Dr Gwajima said the platforms are intended to do more than simply organize women’s groups.

They are designed to connect women at grassroots level with opportunities for financing, business skills, training and markets.

“We must ensure this agenda is implemented at council level so that empowerment becomes part of real development,” she said.

Her remarks reflect a broader national direction under President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration, which places strong emphasis on inclusive economic growth and wider participation in development opportunities. Across Tanzania, millions of women depend on informal economic activities to support their families.

Small-scale farming, petty trade, food vending and micro-enterprises continue to sustain households, especially in urban settlements and rural communities.

Yet despite their contribution to local economies, many women still struggle to access loans, business information, structured markets and technical support needed to expand their activities. For many, businesses remain trapped in survival mode.

The Women’s Economic Empowerment Platforms being established in councils aim to respond to those challenges by bringing together local government authorities, financial institutions, private sector actors and development experts into one coordinated system.

The goal is to improve access to information, strengthen support systems and create clearer pathways for women seeking economic opportunities. Dr Gwajima noted that one of the biggest obstacles facing many women is not necessarily the absence of programmes, but weak coordination and limited awareness about existing opportunities.

As a result, many eligible women are left out simply because information does not reach them in time or systems fail to connect effectively at community level. She urged councillors to ensure the platforms become active working structures capable of solving real challenges facing women rather than remaining administrative committees on paper.

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“Information, organization and participation must be strengthened if we are to avoid leaving people behind,” she said. Gender Development Director in the ministry, Badru Abdunur, who represented the Permanent Secretary, emphasized the importance of following established guidelines in setting up and managing the platforms.

He said effective cooperation between stakeholders would determine whether the initiative creates meaningful change or simply duplicates existing efforts. Speaking on behalf of councillors and platform leaders, Joan Mazanda said they are ready to implement the directives, noting that improving women’s economic opportunities would directly strengthen households and communities.

Beyond the official statements and policy discussions, the Dodoma meeting reflected a deeper shift slowly taking shape in local governance. For years, much of women’s economic activity has operated at the informal edges of development planning despite its enormous contribution to family welfare and local economies.

Now, there is growing recognition that women’s businesses, skills and labour must be treated as part of mainstream economic planning. The challenge ahead lies in implementation.

Whether these platforms succeed will depend largely on what happens after meetings and speeches end, whether council budgets begin reflecting the realities women face every day, and whether support systems can genuinely help small businesses grow beyond survival.

For many women working quietly in markets, farms and neighbourhood enterprises across Tanzania, that shift could mean more than economic opportunity. It could mean greater stability, stronger independence and a better future for their families.