ZARA Tanzania Adventures wins chamber’s Top Women Excellence Award for 2025
The award by the Tanzania Women Chamber of Commerce celebrates Ms Zainab Ansell, the founder and Managing Director of the tourism firm for her innovative spirit, resilience, and dedication to transformative entrepreneurship in her country.
THURSDAY March 27, 2025
By Adam Ihucha
The Tranquility News Correspondent, Tanzania
The trailblazing founding Director of ZARA Tanzania Adventures, Ms Zainab Ansell, has been awarded the Top Women Excellence Award 2025.
The Tanzania Women Chamber of Commerce (TWCC) hosted the award ceremony in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s bustling commercial hub, to mark the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration.
This award recognises Ms Zainab’s exceptional achievements in a traditionally male-dominated, multi-billion-dollar tourism industry.
It also celebrates her innovative spirit, resilience, and dedication to transformative entrepreneurship in Tanzania.
“We are incredibly proud to announce that Ms Zainab Ansell has been honoured with the prestigious Top Women Excellence Award 2025,” the TWCC statement reads in part, adding:
“Through her unwavering commitment to empowering women, Ms Zainab continues inspiring a new generation to break barriers and shape the future of business in Tanzania and beyond.”
Zainab is among few women in East Africa to own and lead a tour company in an industry where women entrepreneurs represent less than 1 per cent.
Her journey—from working with Air Tanzania Corporation for eight years to launching ZARA Tanzania Adventures in 1987—has become a beacon of inspiration for women nationwide.
Today, ZARA is a leading outfitter for Mount Kilimanjaro climbs and safaris, operating nine properties, employing over 1,410 staff, and supporting thousands of Tanzanian families.
Her social impact initiatives, run through Zara Charity, include supporting two Maasai schools in at Iswira and Endulen villages in Ngorongoro Diatrict, Arusha Region.
If you want to help people to fight poverty, give them education,” Ms Zainab Ansell, the founding Director of Zara Tanzania Adventures based in Moshi Municipality, Kilimanjaro Region.
Others are providing vocational training for Maasai women to enable them to earn income through beadwork and health insurance for 900 plus porters, along with training them in first aid, English, and financial management.
Other initiatives are carrying out afforestation campaigns with a goal of planting 10,000 plus trees annually and cleaning up the Indian Ocean that has seen at least seven tonnes of plastic waste recently removed recently.
Additionally, she constructs classrooms and donates desks for underprivileged schools, including at Kaloleni Primary Scholl in Moshi Municipality and at Moshi Kids Centre which offers early education. She recently provided the centre with new classroom facilities.
Another drive is training 270 plus hospitality students annually at Zara’s lodges and camps.
“I’m humbled,” said Ms Zainab. “But this achievement wouldn’t be possible without the dedicated ZARA team and the support of our global travel partners. I also deeply appreciate every adventurer who trusted us with their Kilimanjaro and safari experience.”
With 15 per cent of profits directed to Zara Charity, philanthropy and community upliftment is at the heart of Zainab’s business.
Her efforts have not only created jobs but also challenged traditional norms, opening new doors for women in rural and marginalised communities.
“If you want to help people to fight poverty, give them education,” she passionately stated—a belief that fuels her mission every single dayΩ
