(i) Launch Women entrepreneurs in Tanzania: A woman’s golden hands It is recommended that, upon its completion, the Women entrepreneurs in Tanzania:
A woman’s golden hands video be launched at a major press conference in Dar es Salaam to which donors, government officials, members of the Tanzanian National Business Council, the SME Forum, women entrepreneurs’ groups, financial institutions, university students, BDS suppliers and entrepreneurship trainers, and other members of the private sector are invited. Following the launch, copies of the video should be distributed widely across the country along with a resource guide and “Fact Sheet on Women Entrepreneurs” that will enable its use as an educational and training tool.
Launch receptions could also be hosted in other regions of the country.
(ii) Develop new initiatives to profile women entrepreneur role models It is recommended that a variety of other mediums be used to profile good examples of diverse women who have been able to overcome growth barriers and achieve success in their enterprises at all levels, from micro to medium size. This can be done by:
• publishing print profiles of women clients of MFI and SIDO programmes, as well as women who have been able to secure other sources of financing and achieve growth; and • developing a radio programme featuring issues of relevance to women entrepreneurs (and SMEs generally), modeled after the Ethiopian pilot initiative.
(iii) Organize a series of conferences for women entrepreneurs in the regions; declare a “Women Entrepreneurs’ Month”
It is recommended that a series of conferences for women entrepreneurs be hosted in each region, focused on transferring knowledge and skills, facilitating networking, and promoting the exchange of experiences among women.
These could be partnered with women entrepreneurs’ associations and combined with trade fairs so members have the opportunity to create a profile for their enterprises as well as generate sales.
Modeled after the good practice in Ethiopia, the Government could further declare a “Month for Women Entrepreneurs” and engage many partners in hosting events and activities to celebrate the achievements of women entrepreneurs in several parts of the Tanzanian economy (see the Ethiopia chapter for more information on the approach).
This could be done in partnership with regional agencies and women entrepreneurs’
associations so as to organize activities in all regions of the country.
(iv) Establish an annual awards programme for women entrepreneurs To further raise awareness of the contributions women are making to the economy through their MSMEs, and to recognize their achievements, the MIT-SME Section, in concert with donors, private sector organizations and associations of women entrepreneurs, should institute an annual awards programme for women entrepreneurs.
Several categories of entrepreneurial behaviour could be recognized; for example, an award for micro-enterpriser of the year, innovative woman entrepreneur of the year, growth entrepreneur of the year, etc. A call for nominations could be made on a regional level and finalists honoured at small events prior to a national awards ceremony where “winners” are announced and celebrated. Following the event, print profiles of the finalists and winners can be produced for wider distribution.
In the US and Canada, such awards celebrations attract the attention of the media, as well as major corporations, banks, community leaders and government officials, and have contributed significantly to raising the profile of women-owned enterprises.
(v) The “Top 20 Women Entrepreneurs of Tanzania” publication Because there is little evidence of an inventory of women entrepreneurs in growth firms in Tanzania, and the challenge of breaking the stereotypical image of a woman entrepreneur is severe, it is further recommended that an initiative be undertaken to identify the “top 20 women entrepreneurs in Tanzania” on an annual basis and to publish their profiles.
This action would serve to raise the profile of women’s entrepreneurial activity in Tanzania as well as offer growth examples to other women who would like to further develop their own enterprises. The “Top 20 Women Entrepreneurs of Tanzania”
publication would be distributed widely in educational institutions, government agencies, donor groups, women’s groups and associations, banks, etc. Profiled women could be asked to participate in speaking engagements, participate in policy discussions, offer mentoring services to other women entrepreneurs, and share their experiences broadly with others. Support providers of the “top 20” (financial institutions, business development service providers, etc.) should be encouraged to feature these and other women entrepreneurs in their newsletters.
To learn more about this author, visit International Labour Organization's Website.
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