Dar es Salaam. The Second Vice-President of Zanzibar, Hemed Suleiman Abdulla has said women remain central to the country’s political, social and economic transformation, stressing that no meaningful development can be achieved without their full participation.
Speaking at The Citizen Rising Woman – Zanzibar Edition 2026, the Second Vice-President of Zanzibar said women are now recognised as a key force in driving national development across all sectors.
“Women are not just supporters of development; they are innovators, leaders and a key force in the economy of families and the nation,” he said, quoting President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
He said the Rising Woman platform had become an important space for advancing women’s leadership and expanding their participation in development processes.
“It is a fact that there is no real development without the full participation of women,” he said, adding that women are actively contributing in markets, agriculture, business and emerging technologies.
He noted that government reforms are aimed at strengthening women’s participation in the economy and decision-making structures, including economic empowerment systems, gender-based violence response mechanisms, women’s networks and leadership representation.
“The government has put in place strategic areas to empower women economically and socially, including strengthening systems for economic empowerment, improving gender desks, building women’s networks and increasing their participation in decision-making,” he said.
He said Zanzibar has recorded significant progress in women’s empowerment programmes through the Zanzibar Economic Empowerment Agency (ZEE), which has disbursed interest-free and low-interest loans worth over Sh53 billion between 2022 and March 2026, with women accounting for 83.6 per cent of beneficiaries.
He added that more than 15,000 people have received entrepreneurship training, 75 per cent of them women, covering areas such as food processing, soap making, beekeeping, digital marketing, financial literacy, solar equipment production and agriculture value addition.
“These interventions are aimed at building capacity and improving livelihoods, and they are already yielding positive results,” he said.
The Second Vice-President of Zanzibar said the government will continue to create an enabling environment for women to access economic opportunities and leadership positions in line with the CCM 2025–2030 manifesto and Zanzibar Vision 2050.
He also highlighted financial literacy as a critical gap affecting women’s economic progress, saying lack of financial knowledge often undermines sustainability of business initiatives.
“One of the key gaps we must address is financial literacy. Without it, even well-funded projects cannot be sustained beyond a few months,” he said.
He called for stronger collaboration between government, financial institutions and development partners to ensure beneficiaries of empowerment programmes are equipped with skills to sustain their businesses.
He commended Mwananchi Communications Limited for organising the platform, describing it as an important initiative in amplifying women’s voices and experiences.
The event brought together policymakers, financial experts, development actors and entrepreneurs under the theme “Give to Gain”, focusing on women’s role in driving inclusive economic growth.
