Economic Empowerment

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Source: East African Business Week
Dar es Salaam — Only 35% of Tanzanian women are in the managerial level positions according to findings made by the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) through its Female Future Tanzania (FFT) program.

In an interview with the East African Business Week, Lillian Machera, Female Future Coordinator said the scientific research was aimed to expose and reveal bottlenecks that hinder women to acquire top positions in workplaces.

"The research was conducted to 300 companies in the private sector in Dar es Salaam region with the ultimate goal of finding sustainable solution and pave way for women to acquire top position in workplaces," she said.

She said the findings also revealed that emotional, family matters and little confidence are the holdups that hinder them to expose their capabilities in workplaces.

Machera said the major aim of the programme is to empower more women and enable them get into managerial positions, decision making processes and in corporate boards and that it will be delivered through executive training on leadership, rhetoric and board competence whereas the courses will be directly linked to participants' daily work routines at their workplaces.

"Currently, Tanzanian unemployment rate stands at 10.3%; therefore, job creation should be a development agenda that the government should focus on," she said.

During the International Women's Day a month ago, Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan, graced a one-day forum that aimed at attracting more women into leadership positions and in boards of directors with the ultimate goal of having 50% to 50% parity in the long run.

The Vice President said the programme would help in promoting talents that would help men and women in Tanzania attain the Tanzania Development Vision 2025 which aims at ensuring the country becomes a middle income country by 2025.

Co-organised by Kazi Service Limited in partnership with the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE), the event provides a platform for more than 400 women leaders and professionals drawn from the private and public sectors in areas of academia, military, judiciary, diplomatic missions and non-governmental organizations.

FFT was established by ATE in collaboration with the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO), whereas the programme will officially commence in July this year.