Helvetas awakens women’s latent leadership traits through Ukijani towards key civic polls

TUESDAY July 23, 2024

By Deus Bugaywa

The Tranquility News Correspondent, Tanzania

Helvetas Swiss Inter-Cooperation is through Ukijani Project imparting leadership skills to women in a bid to raise their numbers in Tanzania’s decision-making bodies.

Going by the 2023 Census, women constituted more than a half of the population of over 61 million Tanzanians, yet their presence in decision-making machineries is not yet adequately felt.

Elevating women in decision making bodies is billed to benefit political, business, community and all other spheres of life from national to grassroots level.

Both state and non-state actors as well as the media are blamed for not doing enough to inspire women to rise above socio-economic, cultural and political fabrics inhibiting them from vying for leadership posts in their communities.

Ukijani has, under the auspices of the Helvetas Swiss Inter-Cooperation, embarked on changing the narrative ahead of grassroots elections slated for end of year.

The project is training women in confronting the socio-economic, cultural and political drivers of gender inequality in Simiyu and Singida regions, Tanzania.

“When women are meaningfully represented and actively engage in leadership bodies at community, village, neighbourhood, and district council levels as well as in land tribunals, decisions and rulings reached are more likely to become inclusive, representative, and to take diverse views into account,” Ukijani Project Manager Shoma Nangale, believes.

A training session involving 100 women covered topics on key gender tools including a myriad of reasons for a woman to resolve to contest, prepare for and participate in elections.

The gender tools also comprise strategies for attracting electability; overcoming the socio-economic, cultural and political obstacles; and safety and security of women aspiring various posts in their communities.

Thrilled by key information and skills they are equipped with during the training, participants admit that enhancing gender justice and gender equality in leadership and decision-making processes is critical if the country is to realise an inclusive socio-economic, cultural and political progress.

We’re vastly underrepresented in decision-making bodies be it in politics, businesses, or communities,” Priscadian Maleta, participant from Manyoni District, Singida Region, Tanzania.

“We’re vastly underrepresented in decision-making bodies be it in politics, businesses, or communities,” observes Priscadian Maleta, participant from Manyoni District.

She admits that the training has emboldened her to become confident, familiarise herself with the environment and the people she intends to lead, and mobilise funds to meet costs of electoral processes.

Different researches and studies agree that women are powerful agents of change, with diversity and gender parity far-reaching benefits in leadership and decision-making being increasingly recognised in all spheres of life.

Tanzania though has made significant strides in advancing women’s leadership at national and international levels, their representation in Local Government Authorities (LGAs) remains relatively low.

Barely 6.5 per cent of elected district councillors were women in the last LGAs elections, with even lower figures at the ward and village levels, at 2.7 per cent and 2.1 per cent, respectively.

Reports show that out of 11,916 village chairpersons in the country, only 246 are women, equivalent to 2.1 per cent.

Similarly, in towns and cities, where one would expect increased numbers of elected women leaders at grassroots level, the trend is more like in the villages.

Out of the 4,171 towns and cities available, women chairing neighbourhoods are 528, equivalent to 12.6 per cent, while out of 58,441 hamlets, women chair 4.171 of them, equivalent to 6.7 per cent.

“If a women’s agenda is to sail through any aspect of life, they have themselves to be part of decision-making processes of entities in a given society,” Singida Regional Commissioner Halima Dendego says.

She commends Helvetas Swiss Inter-Cooperation for backing the Ukijani Project to showcase practical ways on how women can be empowered in almost all aspects.

The session has invigorated me, the topics were simple and easy to grasp, they have miraculously helped me to discover my innermost strength, Minza Mbesi, participant from Bariadi Town Council.

“Let’s put into practice the knowledge and skills with which we have been equipped here to cast the inbuilt fear and inferiority.

“You all know that a woman’s agenda is tantamount to a family and community’s one, let’s carry out our agenda meticulously,” Regional Commissioner Dendego urges.

All what a woman needs to break the circle and venture into leadership, she says, is to become strong, courageous, and to turn a deaf ear towards many disappointing noises, including some from fellow women.

“President Samia Suluhu Hassan, our own role model, has shown us and the world that we make good leaders, so let’s say we can,” says the Regional Commissioner as she calls on women to support and embrace each other in ascending leadership ladders.

Minza Mbesi, participant from Bariadi Town Council, says the training has set her ready for a race in the forthcoming LGAs elections.

“The session has invigorated me, the topics were simple and easy to grasp, they have miraculously helped me to discover my innermost strength

“You can’t believe I am now ready for vying for a councillorship post in a ward I will disclose when time is due,” Minza vowsΩ