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8.0 Promotion of women’s entrepreneurship: Support for Growth-oriented Women Entrepreneurs in Tanzania, 2005

Guest post by: International Labour Organization

Article Overview: According to key informants from the University of Dar es Salaam, entrepreneurship is only now becoming considered a legitimate and valued activity in Tanzania. There is a huge need to increase this and to create more awareness of the important role that owners of micro and small enterprises play in the economy. A much higher value has to be attached to opportunities in the SME sector and to the role of entrepreneurs so as to make it an acceptable and preferred option for college and university graduates, the next generation of entrepreneurs.

8.0 Promotion of women’s entrepreneurship: Support for Growth-oriented Women Entrepreneurs in Tanzania, 2005

According to key informants from the University of Dar es Salaam,
entrepreneurship is only now becoming considered a legitimate and valued activity in
Tanzania. There is a huge need to increase this and to create more awareness of the
important role that owners of micro and small enterprises play in the economy. A much
higher value has to be attached to opportunities in the SME sector and to the role of
entrepreneurs so as to make it an acceptable and preferred option for college and
university graduates, the next generation of entrepreneurs.

The low visibility of the role of women entrepreneurs in the Tanzanian economy is
of primary concern. Currently women are viewed as only able to operate at the low end
of the micro-enterprise spectrum. It is very important to raise the profile of women as
entrepreneurs to change this perception, but it should be done within the context of
fostering a stronger entrepreneurial culture in the country in general.

Since women dominate the micro-enterprise sector, and yet are undervalued and
subject to stereotypical images, promotion is desirable for at least three reasons:
• to demonstrate the diversity of women entrepreneurs in the economy, some of which have
grown to medium size;
• to tap the full potential of women (being 52 per cent of the population) in the economic
arena; and
• to dispel the myth that women’s enterprise is only at the subsistence level and associated
with poverty reduction activity, as opposed to job creation and economic growth.

Publicizing examples of successful women entrepreneurs is one way to achieve this,
an approach that has been very successful in developed economies such as the United
States and Canada.

The Tanzanian Government, in cooperation with ILO’s WEDGE-Tanzania project,
is addressing this gap by producing the 30-minute documentary video, Women
entrepreneurs in Tanzania: A woman’s golden hands, which profiles five women
entrepreneurs. The video was released early in 2004. Apart from this initiative, profiles
of successful women clients are often featured in the newsletters of support agencies
(e.g., SIDO, The Tanzania Gatsby Trust, etc.). However, the distribution of these
newsletters is relatively limited. Much more work is needed in the area of promoting
women’s entrepreneurship.

Related Articles
  1.2 Mission Objectives: Support for Growth-oriented Women Entrepreneurs in Tanzania, 2005
  1.1 Background and Introduction: Support for Growth-oriented Women Entrepreneurs in Tanzania, 2005
  7.0 Policy/programme coordination and leadership: Support for Growth-oriented Women Entrepreneurs in Tanzania, 2005
  16.0 Closing comments: Support for Growth-oriented Women Entrepreneurs in Tanzania, 2005
  10.0 Training – business management and technical skills: Support for Growth-oriented Women Entrepreneurs in Tanzania, 2005

Article Tags: enterprise, entrepreneurship, micro enterprise, successful women, Tanzania, Tanzania, University of Dar es Salaam, women entrepreneurs



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