Govt insists on women empowerment

Samwel Mwalongo

DAR ES SALAAM: THE government has urged stakeholders to invest in women to

accelerate their progress and the nation as a whole as part of supporting efforts by President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan in uplifting the group in the country.

The call was made on Thursday by Minister for Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups, Dr Dorothy Gwajima as Tanzanian women join their colleagues in the world in commemorating the International Women’s Day today.

“I would like to ask stakeholders to support these efforts spearheaded by our President by investing in women and speeding up the development of women and the nation as a whole,” Dr Gwajima asserted when officiating at the Public Sector Women CEO’s Forum held in Dar es Salaam.

The forum was intended to inspire women CEOs in the public sector to set the tone in driving national development agenda and fostering inclusive growth.

Since assuming power in March 2021 as the first female president in Tanzania’s history, President Samia has been instituting several measures to ensure women hold positions in decision-making bodies in the government.

Dr Samia’s effort to empower women is witnessed even from the grassroot as she announced to lift a ban for teen mothers returning to school. Coupled with that, Dr Gwajima encouraged stakeholders to initiate and support various programmes that uplift women in various economic activities.

“By doing this (initiating various coordinated women platforms to uplift women), we will help a large group of people and move our nation forward,” she underlined.

The minister noted that the government under the leadership of President Samia continues to elevate women to various decision-making and leadership positions.

“We have continued to witness the competence of women leaders in various positions and you women (CEOs) are one of them,” she said.

Showing how the government continues uplifting women she said state continues executing the Generation Equality Forum Commitments (2021/22 – 2025/26).

“Among other things, the government continues to implement various programmes focusing of women’s welfare including advocating for decent work for them by developing and formalising women’s businesses,” Dr Gwajima added.

She further said the government also continues to enhance access to and use of affordable and appropriate technologies to increase women’s ability to produce competitive products for the domestic and foreign markets.

For her part, former African Union (AU) Ambassador to the United States, Amina Salum Ali encouraged the 31 women CEOs who attended the forum to adhere to feminine power philosophy whilst naming President Samia as an example to emulate.

The diplomat said the feminine power concept is more about truth, caring more about the whole than the self, using power for the greater good not just as power over others.

She also exhorted women to work hard, saying that those in decision-making positions have to ensure they publicise their activities through various media outlets so that they can be seen. For his side, Commissioner General of Immigration (CGI) Dr Anna Makakala encouraged women to focus on opportunities that are accessible rather than relying solely on their ambitions.

“My dream was to become a medical doctor…but just a day before the deadline I applied for a job in the immigration,” Makakala revealed.