Tanzania has announced over 47 new commitments during the Generation Equality Forum (GEF) to improve working conditions for women in both formal and informal sectors.
This move reflects the country’s push to tackle employment disparities, with only 25% of women employed in the formal sector and the rest working informally.
Ms. Angellah Kairuki, advisor to President Samia Suluhu Hassan and chair of the Generation Equality National Advisory Committee, highlighted the private sector’s pivotal role in empowering women economically. “For sustainable growth and effective women-focused initiatives, integrating female inclusion into the core of business operations is essential,” she stated.
Kairuki emphasized the importance of fostering a responsible and diverse private sector that supports women’s empowerment and gender equality.
She called for policies that ensure equal access, participation, and safety for women in workplaces, marketplaces, and communities.
Dr. Mitra Sadananda, Officer in Charge at UN Women, proposed several strategies to bolster private sector involvement.
These include having CEOs make public commitments, creating gender-responsive benchmarks, offering guidance on inclusive leadership, setting minimum gender criteria for membership renewal, rewarding significant progress, and establishing a public dashboard to monitor gender performance. “The private sector is crucial to driving this change, as it employs 70–90% of workers globally and 75–80% in Tanzania,” said Dr. Sadananda.
Mr. Raphael Maganga, CEO of the Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF), reiterated the foundation’s commitment to gender equality in the private sector. “We aim to raise awareness, create dedicated categories for gender equality, and support the advancement of women in senior management roles and board positions,” Maganga said.
Since joining the GEF in 2021, Tanzania has pledged to increase funding for gender-responsive services, expand opportunities for decent work for women, enhance women’s control over resources, and develop gender-focused macroeconomic policies and budget reforms. These commitments align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Beijing Platform for Action.
Through these initiatives, Tanzania is making significant strides in embedding bold goals for women’s rights and gender equality into both national and global agendas.
