For Professor Fortunata Makene, leadership is not simply about occupying a position, it is about driving meaningful change.
As Executive Director of the Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF), a think-tank formed to support more evidence-informed policy making, she stands at the forefront of advancing gender equality through evidence-based policy advocacy in Tanzania.
Her journey to the top reflects both personal determination and institutional purpose.
She joined ESRF as a fresh graduate from the University of Dar es Salaam before later pursuing a PhD at the University of Minnesota and taught at Worcester State University, Massachusetts before returning to shape the very institution where her career began.
Like many women in leadership, she admits to moments of doubt.
“As any woman, I second-guessed my strength to lead others when the opportunity came, but never my potential,” she reflects. “I credit my mentors who believed in me and pushed me forward.” “I urge fellow women leaders to lift others up by mentoring them and create opportunities for them to grow. For those who aspire to be leaders make sure you are consistent and seek mentors to guide you in your journey.”
Unpaid care work flag-bearer
Under her stewardship, the think tank has sharpened its focus on the social dimensions of development particularly the often-overlooked burden of unpaid care work carried by women and girls.
The burden of unpaid care work is both an economic and social issue. Time spent collecting water is time taken away from education, income generation and personal development. It reinforces cycles of poverty and limits women’s participation in the economy.
Despite national targets suggesting households should access water within 400 metres, the reality for many rural women tells a different story. In places like Kishapu, women walk up to 15 kilometres during dry seasons and spending up to 12 hours fetching water.
The approach is both practical and transformative. One of the solutions the project proposes is rainwater harvesting, an accessible intervention with immediate impact.
“If we harvest rainwater during the rainy season, we can ensure availability during droughts,” she explains. “It reduces the distance women travel and gives them back time.”
But reducing time poverty is only the beginning. The deeper question, she argues, is what women are able to do with that time once it is freed.
“Women must be empowered to use that time productively,” she says. “Our policies must integrate skills development and economic opportunities. Otherwise, we are only solving half the problem.”
Through ESRF-led interventions, this vision is already taking shape. In Kishapu, initiatives have combined infrastructure improvements with cultural transformation. Programmes like Baba Jamii challenge traditional gender roles by encouraging shared household responsibilities.
“During one of the visits, I remember observing men cooking and serving while women sat—it was a powerful image seeing norm change had started to happen way before the project conclusion,” she recalls. “It is changing the dynamics at home. Families are becoming happier.”
For Prof. Makene, such shifts are essential. Gender equality cannot be achieved through policy alone, it requires changing mindsets and social norms. And crucially, it requires men to be part of the solution.
“Men are key to cultural change,” she emphasizes. “Women cannot carry this transformation alone.”
Her advocacy also extends to governance. Despite being primary managers of household water, women are often excluded from decision-making processes.
“They are not in the rooms where decisions are made,” she says. “Yet when given the chance, they speak clearly and confidently about their needs.”
Ensuring women’s representation in local committees and policy platforms is, in her view, critical to closing the gap between policy intent and lived reality.
Looking ahead, Prof. Makene sees expanding opportunities to deepen this work, particularly through social protection systems and early childhood development.
Investing in childcare services, she argues, could significantly reduce the unpaid care burden and enable more women to participate in economic activities.
At the heart of her work is a simple but urgent message: development must be inclusive, and inclusion must be intentional.
Policy change lead
Yet under Prof. Makene’s leadership, ESRF is not only producing research, it is redefining what counts as evidence. By elevating issues like unpaid care work and social protection, it is ensuring that development policy reflects the realities of those who have long remained unseen.
For over three decades, ESRF has grown into one of the country’s most influential policy research institutions, contributing to landmark frameworks such as:
Technical support for DIRA 2050, Long Term Perspective Plan and First Five Year Development Plan
The Drafting of the Development Vision 2025 and its review in 2023;
SuccessiveFive-Year Development and its review
National Micro Finance Policy (2000) for Ministry of Finance.
National Environmental Policy (1997) for Vice President’s Office;
National Energy Policy (2003) for Ministry of Energy and Minerals;
National Youth Policy Review (2007) for Ministry of Labor, Employment and Youth Development;
National Tourism Policy Review (1999) for Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism; and
Development of Regional Guide for All 25 Regions across Tanzania Mainland.
Tanzania Human Development Report (THDR 2014, 2017)
“As a country, we don’t have a problem with policies,” she says. “The real challenge is implementation.”
As Tanzania continues to navigate its development path, ESRF’s role as a champion of gender equality through policy advocacy has never been more critical. And with Prof. Makene at the helm, that mission is not only clear, it is firmly in motion. Click the link here: www.esrf.or.tz
About ESRF
The Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) is an independent policy research institution established in Tanzania to generate evidence and support informed decision-making in economic management and development planning. Founded in October 1992 and operational from 1994, the institution emerged during a critical period of economic reforms as the country transitioned from a socialist to a market-based economy.
This shift created a growing demand for credible, research-based input into policymaking.
ESRF’s formation was also driven by a wider concern across Africa that policy processes were not sufficiently informed by scientific evidence, alongside limited analytical capacity within the civil service to address complex development challenges.
Among its key pioneers is Professor Samwel Wangwe, who co-founded the institution and played a central role in shaping its early direction.
