Samia ponders separate ministry for gender, women’s issues

Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan yesterday promised to split the ministry of Health as the government wants to put gender and women issues in a separate docket. The plan is part of initiatives to fulfil the commitments Tanzania made during the Gender Equality Forum (GEF) conference.

Tanzania was part of the international conference aimed at bringing new impetus to achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment held in Paris-France from June 30 to July 2, this year. Among its resolutions was to ensure that women and girls in Tanzania enjoy equal economic opportunities.

The GEF is the result of a review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration, 25 years after the resolution was adopted in 1995, where it was seen as necessary to set new strategies and accelerate the implementation of areas that did not perform well.

In Paris, the forum identified six areas of action that women face as challenges; Gender-based violence, economic justice and rights (which Tanzania has chosen to spearhead), reproductive rights, climate change, technology and innovation, and leadership. It is in this context that President Hassan announced the move in Dodoma yesterday as she also launched a 25-member national advisory committee that will spearhead government implementation of its commitments to the GEF action coalition. She said the decision to have a ministry responsible for women’s affairs was also due to that fact that in the current set up, the health section was more notable that other sections.

in the ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children is more easily noted by the public than the remaining sections.

“But if we set aside a gender ministry, policy management, law and other things can go well and get the needed impetus,” she said, adding that she would try to advise the Zanzibar president to also do the same.

She said the GEF was a continuation of the various efforts made by the United Nations in ensuring that no one is left behind in development as well as ensuring that goal number five of the Sustainable Development Goals is fully implemented.

“The structure of our committee with members from various sectors would help us see how we are going to fulfill our promises…,” she said.

The presidents said despite the fact that women remained key players in achieving global goals, their economic, social and political well-being has not yet been fully integrated or implemented in various development programmes.

“The time has come now to fully implement the policies and laws enacted and the plans we put in place to improve the economic situation to bring prosperity to society and the nation as a whole,” she declared.

For her part UNwomen’s country representative, Ms Hodan Adu commended the government for taking important steps aimed at ensuring that women and girls in Tanzania enjoyed equal economic rights and opportunities.

“I would like to convey my assurance of UNwomen commitment and continued support to ensure that Tanzania’s commitments under the economic, justice and rights action coalition are realized by 2026,” she assured.