Samia: Involving women key to attaining the SDGs
President Samia speaks at African Women Leaders Network (AWLN)’s 4th intergenerational retreat for economic empowerment, sustainability and financial inclusion in Zanzibar on December 3, 2022. PHOTO | STATE HOUSE
What you need to know:
- According to the president, Tanzania has managed to increase women’s participation in leadership and decision-making positions, such as having nine cabinet ministers, and 37 percent of parliamentarians are women.
Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan said yesterday that empowering women to take an active role in decision-making is a prerequisite to achieving not only the global sustainable goals but also Tanzania’s Vision 2025 and Africa’s Agenda 2063.
President Hassan stated this at the fourth intergenerational retreat hosted by the groundbreaking African Women Leaders Network (AWLN), a network of African women leaders, and urged a faster pace of legislative, regulatory, and financial changes.
“I must say, we need to move faster and create a legal and financial atmosphere that would facilitate the inclusion of women in decision-making, which in turn will make our nations achieve sustainable goals, Africa agenda,” President Hassan explained.
According to her, Tanzania has done a commendable job of increasing women’s participation in the country’s economy and leadership. She added: “Women are facing historical bottlenecks that hinder their full participation in wealth generating ventures as well as in leadership, so we must amend this.”
President Samia recalled 2021 data that indicated that at least 44 million women lost their jobs. “This translates to more women being poor; they have no social security, women have lost chances that they previously had, they are being abused.”
“And, under COVID-19, with the current climate change and environmental shocks, the world is now experiencing challenges related to energy and food security, which in fact pushes development and women backwards,” she continues.
Therefore, she said, “A need to empower women is vital as it is through them that we as the global body, the continent of Africa, and individual countries can achieve their development goals. And as a frontline country in gender equality, we will support the move undertaken by AWLN.”
According to the president, Tanzania has managed to increase women’s participation in leadership and decision-making positions, such as having nine cabinet ministers, and 37 percent of parliamentarians are women.
“In the High Court and Court of Appeal, 47 percent of judges are women; in the primary and district level courts, women magistrates comprise 38 percent.” In 2005, we had only 3% female diplomats, but that number has now risen to 23%,” she said.
President Hassan added: “I am aware that many countries in Africa have done an incredible job when it comes to women’s inclusion in leadership and economic ventures. In my opinion, our continent will be in the capable hands of women in 20 to 30 years.”
