Women’s empowerment gains momentum in Dodoma

DODMA: WOMEN in Dodoma Region have been urged to seize leadership and economic opportunities as the region joined the rest of the world to mark International Women’s Day today, March 8, 2026.

Dodoma Regional Commissioner Rosemary Senyamule made the call while addressing thousands of women who gathered at Mbande Primary School grounds in Kongwa District to celebrate the occasion.

This year’s celebrations were held under the theme “Rights and Equality for Women and Girls: An Inclusive Foundation for Achieving Vision 2050.”

Ms Senyamule said the theme seeks to raise awareness on the importance of inclusive development by recognising and protecting the rights of women and girls.

“Today, as we celebrate this day, we commend women for their bravery, resilience and determination in supporting families and contributing to national development,” she said.

She noted that under the sixth-phase government led by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, several initiatives have been implemented to expand opportunities for women across different sectors.

According to her, between 2024 and 2025, Dodoma Region disbursed about 9.48bn/- in loans under the 10 per cent local government lending scheme to support women’s economic activities.

She added that through the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), more than 500 women’s groups have secured government tenders under special procurement opportunities, receiving payments amounting to over **16bn/-.

“Sixteen billion shillings is a large amount, but we still need to take full advantage of the opportunities available through government procurement,” she said.

Ms Senyamule further said 2,716 women entrepreneurshave been registered in the region, enabling them to access business opportunities and loans worth about 403m/-.

She urged women who cannot access bank loans to register their businesses so they can benefit from government support programmes.

The regional commissioner also noted progress in women’s participation in leadership, saying the number of women elected as constituency Members of Parliament in Dodoma has increased from one in the previous term to three, representing about 27 per cent of the region’s 11 constituencies.

She added that the number of women holding leadership positions at the local government level, including ward leaders, appointed officials and civil servants, has also continued to increase.

On gender-based violence, Ms Senyamule said the region recorded 17,927 cases in 2024, including 14,404 involving women and 3,525 involving men, but the number dropped to 8,020 cases in 2025 following intensified awareness campaigns.

She also highlighted improvements in water supply, health services and clean energy initiatives, saying these have helped reduce the burden on women.

“Expansion of health facilities has helped reduce maternal and child deaths, while improved water supply has reduced the distance women travel to fetch water,” she said.

Earlier, the Kongwa District Commissioner, Mayeka Simon, said maternal and child mortality rates have continued to decline due to improved health infrastructure in the district.

He noted that when President Samia assumed office, Kongwa District had four health centres, but the number has increased to seven within five years, improving access to maternal health services.

The celebrations were preceded by a series of activities across the region, including radio awareness programmes, tree planting in Kikuyu South Ward, distribution of energy-efficient cooking stoves in Mlowa Ward in Chamwino District, and a women’s dialogue at Chimwaga Hall at the University of Dodoma (UDOM).

Other activities included charitable outreach at needy schools in Kondoa Town Council, a women-in-education forum in Bahi District and a gathering organised by the Christian Women’s Union in Kizota Ward.

The celebrations also featured a three-day exhibition from March 6 to 8, bringing together stakeholders and entrepreneurs from district councils across Dodoma Region to showcase and sell their products and services.