WB urges Zanzibar to fast-track women empowerment project
Permanent Secretary in the Zanzibar’s Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ms Abeida Rashid Abdalla (left), presents a gift to the World Bank Director for Social Sustainability and Inclusion, Ms Varalakshmi Vemuru, after a brief meeting held on Monday, May 11, 2026, at her office in Kinazini, Unguja. The meeting discussed implementation strategies for the Tanzania Gender Equality Promotion Project (PAMOJA), being implemented by the ministry in collaboration with the Zanzibar Economic Empowerment Agency (ZEEA). PHOTO | JESSE MIKOFU
Unguja. The World Bank (WB) has called on the Zanzibar’s Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children to accelerate implementation of the Tanzania Gender Equality Promotion Project (PAMOJA), stressing the need for timely delivery of results that translate into improved livelihoods and social welfare.
The Bank also underscored the importance of proper utilisation of funds allocated to the project to ensure that intended objectives are fully achieved.
The PAMOJA project, funded by the WB for a five-year period from 2024 to 2029, is valued at Sh33 billion.
It is implemented jointly with the Zanzibar Economic Empowerment Agency (ZEEA).
The remarks were made on Monday, May 11, 2026, by the WB Director for Social Sustainability and Inclusion, Ms Varalakshmi Vemuru, following a brief meeting with officials from the ministry and ZEEA in Unguja.
The visit by the WB delegation also aimed at reviewing progress and discussing strategies to strengthen implementation so that the programme achieves its intended economic and social impact for women, children and communities.
“The goal is to achieve positive results. Therefore, the ministry must accelerate implementation and ensure proper use of funds as planned under agreed procedures and objectives,” she said.
Ms Vemuru said the project focuses on expanding economic opportunities for women, strengthening protection against gender-based violence, and supporting early childhood development programmes to enable women to participate more effectively in income-generating activities.
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ms Abeida Rashid Abdalla, pledged to implement the recommendations, saying they would help improve delivery of project objectives and outcomes for beneficiaries.
She said the meeting had provided important guidance on implementation and stressed the need to increase community participation to improve awareness and speed up execution of activities across targeted areas.
Ms Abdalla said discussions also agreed on strengthening grassroots engagement to improve understanding of how women would benefit economically through access to loans and initiatives aimed at combating gender-based violence (GBV).
“The project will also economically empower qualified youth and women through loans, and plans to construct two safe houses, one in Unguja and another in Pemba, to support survivors of gender-based violence and abuse,” she said.
The WB has provided Sh33 billion for the programme, which aims to empower women economically while reducing violence and abuse through targeted interventions to strengthen social protection systems and improve welfare.
She said the project will also support wider community awareness and inclusion to ensure more citizens understand its benefits and participate effectively in its implementation.
For his part, ZEEA executive director, Mr Juma Burhani Mohamed, said the project would not only benefit women but also contribute to the economic empowerment of men, fostering broader community development.
“The initiative is expected to bring significant social and economic change by strengthening households, improving livelihoods and reducing cases of abuse and violence through coordinated support programmes,” he said.
PAMOJA remains a five-year WB-funded initiative implemented by the ministry in collaboration with ZEEA, aimed at advancing gender equality, expanding economic opportunities and strengthening protection systems for vulnerable groups across Zanzibar.
