UNDP wants more support for women entrepreneurs
Dar es Salaam. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has called for increased support for women entrepreneurs in Tanzania to bridge the long-standing gap caused by gender inequality.
The agency’s deputy resident representative, Mr Muyeye Chambwera, said women-led businesses have the potential to drive inclusive economic growth but require favourable policies, financial support and capacity-building initiatives.
Speaking at the premiere of a documentary titled Beyond the Hurdles, which featured women entrepreneurs who were among the beneficiaries of Sh1.8 billion funds from Funguo and CRDB’s iMBEJU initiative last, Mr Chambwera spoke of the need for targeted interventions to empower women in business.
“To enable women to thrive in business, we must increase support to fill the gap caused by systemic inequalities that have existed for years,” he said, adding that addressing gender disparities in entrepreneurship requires efforts to equip women with essential resources, skills and opportunities.
The event’s guest of honour, Community Development, Gender, Women, and Special Groups deputy minister Mwanaidi Ali Khamis reaffirmed the government’s commitment to levelling the playing field for women in business.
“We are working tirelessly to ensure that women have equal opportunities in business, just like their male counterparts. The government is committed to empowering women entrepreneurs to help them realise their full potential,” she said.
The EU Ambassador to Tanzania and the East African Community (EAC), Ms Christina Grau, acknowledged the progress made by women entrepreneurs but stressed the need for more support to ensure sustained growth.
“Women entrepreneurs have made significant strides, but there is a need to create a more supportive environment to enable their ventures to grow,” she said.
In a fireside chat during the premiere, some of the women entrepreneurs featured in the documentary shared their inspiring stories of overcoming significant challenges to achieve success in their ventures.
For her part, an entrepreneur, Ms Lilian Madeje, who is the founder of a recruitment and human capital development platform Niajiri, said she had to take full responsibility for the platform after her co-founder left.
“It was a tough moment for me because I had to learn how to run the business alone while ensuring we maintained our clients’ trust,” she said. Despite the challenge, she grew Niajiri to support over 50,000 users, revolutionizing recruitment for employers and job seekers.
The co-founder of FHT Company, Dr Idda Mhindi, said the firm was inspired by her personal experiences growing up in a rural village with limited access to menstrual products.
“Changing mindsets was not easy. People had a lot of misconceptions about reusable pads,” she said.
The stigma surrounding menstruation initially slowed her business’s growth.
Through community education and partnerships, she scaled her operation to reach over 10,000 girls while providing employment for women from low-income communities.
Ms Helena Sailus, co-founder of Arena Recycling, which transforms plastic waste into eco-friendly construction materials, said the biggest challenge is convincing potential investors that recycled plastic could be used in construction.
“People doubted the idea of building with recycled plastic, but I believed in the potential of the product,” she said.
