Launching of Tanzania’s Women Entrepreneurship Development National Action Plan (2016-2020)

Dar es Salaam (ILO NEWS): The ILO in collaboration with Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment will launch the Tanzania’s Women Entrepreneurship Development National Action Plan (WED-NAP) on 28 September 2016.

The event to be officiated by Hon. Charles Mwijage, Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment will bring together various stakeholders in women entrepreneurship and economic empowerment including development partners, UN agencies, Government institutions and agencies, Women Entrepreneurs Association, financial and non-financial business service providers.

The launch will be an opportunity for participants to share various issues with regard to women entrepreneurship and economic empowerment in Tanzania as well as mobilizing support towards implementation of the plan.

Ms. Noreen Toroka, Programme Officer at ILO Country Office, Dar es Salaam, informed that “…the launch will also increase awareness and visibility of ILO Enterprise development interventions in Tanzania and increase partnerships towards implementation of the WED NAP.”

Through various programmes, the ILO has been supporting women entrepreneurship development (WED) in a number of countries, including Tanzania, as a strategy to promote decent self-employment for women. Various studies have indicated that, although WED has been raised by many policy makers as a priority, there is general lack of reliable data and analysis to assess the environmental conduciveness of in entrepreneurship development.

In order to understand the WED environment better and propose recommendations for policy making, the ILO supports assessments in member states. Studies have been undertaken in 15 countries and for Tanzania, such a study was commissioned in 2013. The study report for Tanzania was presented to key stakeholders’ in June 2014, after which the WED-NAP was developed by WED stakeholders including the social partners, Business Development Providers, financial institutions, Women Entrepreneurs Associations and the private sector under the leadership of the Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment.

Among the achievements, as a result of working in collaboration with the Ministry include the amendment of the Public Procumbent Act to mainstream gender and to provide at least 30 percent of the government tenders to enterprises owned/lead by women, youth elderly and people with disabilities. The support to WEAs advocacy work has contributed to the review of the procurement act. The on-going SMEs Development Policy 2003 review and the review of the National Economic Empowerment Policy 2006.