ZANZIBAR: PRESIDENT Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan has called upon public institutions and the private sector to intensify efforts to ensure that women are given a chance and are heard in various decision-making bodies in the country.
President Samia said that the participation of women in various decision-making levels is an inclusive and sustainable issue and therefore should not be taken as revolutionary or a government issue alone.
Dr Samia made the remark in her speech at the opening of the ‘Women in the Financial Sector in Tanzania’ conference held on Wednesday at her home village, Kizimkazi, Unguja South Region.
The President said that the goal is to ensure that issues affecting women, which other decision-makers may not have a broad understanding of, are brought to the decision-making table. In addition to increasing the participation of women in decision-making bodies, President Samia said that it is also important to put great emphasis on empowering women economically.
“Women remain an important group in our development and statistics show that last year, from January to September, they were recognised as key players in the finance and insurance sectors, thus contributing significantly to the economic growth of the country,” she said.
The President noted that she was interested in how women have organised themselves under the ‘Tanzania Women in Finance Association (TAWIFA)’ and ensuring members access essential services including health, insurance and finance, as they are important areas in the process of empowering women economically and socially.
Dr Samia said that the figures provided by TAWIFA give light and promise a brighter future, “because they are heading towards a brighter future since positive changes are seen in the financial sector.” It is unfortunate, the President said, that there are areas still lagging behind, especially their participation in leadership positions.
She further pointed out that “women being part of the decision-making is important because they can speak out about issues that hamper their development, and also decide on issues of their interest.” Dr Samia further noted that the government started long-term efforts to include women in decision-making at various levels so that they can equally contribute to development.
“Efforts are still required, especially at the levels of political decisions, in the government, and in finance because there are still few women. We need to close this gap,” she explained.
However, Dr Samia said that the positive changes seen in the financial sector should provide the impetus for women to achieve their goals. Dr Samia said, “We still have a long way to go in closing the gender gap, but fortunately, the government has already started taking measures including the formulation of policy and other legal reforms to ensure women succeed.” She informed her fellow women in the conference that increasing the participation of women in decision-making bodies must also bring changes to women economically.
The President said that the forefathers struggled to bring freedom to the country, noting that “women should unite to push for their recognition through holding various positions. This is the right time to fight together to build women’s economy.” President Samia said they have been working hard to change women’s thinking about selfawareness, what they want, and have proper direction, and now women have risen and are ready in various things including empowerment.
Mama Samia praised TAWIFA for establishing the platform that has brought together various women in the financial sector because the issue of liberating women should be their priority along with educating them on how to manage their money, especially in rural areas where most of them are engaged in agriculture.
She asked institutions and political parties to work transparently and democratically in accordance with the guidelines and their constitution so that women are not left behind.
The Bank of Tanzania (BoT) Deputy Governor, Ms Sauda Msemo, said that the financial sector is safe, resilient and continues to stimulate various activities of the national economy despite the existing challenges that continue to be resolved.
She said the sixth-phase government is implementing policies and plans where, among other things, it creates an enabling environment to ensure that financial services reach more Tanzanians.
Thus, she asked financial institutions to be innovative in enabling women to access financial services. She said a study conducted last year shows that the number of Tanzanians who are old enough to access financial services has increased from 65 per cent in 2017 to 76 per cent in 2023, and the goal is to reach 85 percent by 2028 through its national plan to facilitate integrated financial services.
She explained that Tanzanians living close to financial services at a distance of not more than five kilometres should have reached 95 per cent by 2028 in urban and rural areas as it has now “reached 100 per cent in urban areas last year, from 91 per cent in 2017 and in rural areas it is 83 per cent from 78 per cent.” Thus, Msemo asked public and private institutions to work together to achieve the national plan to see that Tanzanians access the services easily and officially through various digital networks.
The TAWIFA president Ms Fikky Ntomola said the meeting was organised by the institution in collaboration with the Mwanamke Initiatives Foundation (MIF) and the Tanzania Insurance Regulatory Authority (TIRA).
