Analysts have lauded President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s speech at the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Forum on Youth and Women Inclusion in Trade, saying it was timely and ‘a wake-up call’.
Delivering her speech in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, President Samia challenged women and youth in Africa to take advantage of available resources in improving and strengthening the economy of society and the continent as a whole.
“Women and young people have a great role in the African economy because they invest more in the development of the family, which is the catalyst for the development of African nations,” she said.
Dr Hildebrand Shayo, a banker-cum-investment analyst, said President Samia’s remarks were timely because in recent times, the debate on the role of women and especially young people in societies especially their participation in economic activity has generated a lot of controversy, each side of the debate arguing against increased women and young people participation in all spheres of economic and social activities on biological and cultural basis.
Dr Shayo argued that since taking over from the late Dr John Magufuli, President Samia has championed women and youth empowerment agenda, claiming more Tanzanian women and especially young ones are now getting out of their home jobs into paid jobs. Some, he said, are venturing to previously no-go zone areas for women.
“Likewise, it is my hope women’s participation in the labour force and economic activities will give them more power to fully reach their potential, since they make up almost half of the economically active population,” he added.
The pundit said women and youth are mostly in the lower echelons of economic activity especially the private informal sector, where women are predominantly entrepreneurs of small and medium scale businesses.
“Efforts to empower them in my view will definitely and increasingly make this group become the backbone of their families and the economy at large,” he asserted.
The Executive Director of the Tanzania Women’s Lawyers Association (TAWLA), Tike Mwambipile, commended President Samia for urging women to explore opportunities, saying the President’s call was a key reminder.
Ms Mwambipile further said it was a good gesture hearing a top leader emphasising good and enabling policies that would create equal economic opportunities for both men and women.
She said the Head of State has always been supporting women, for instance, recently she directed the formation of women empowerment councils, which are now set for launching.
These councils are key for empowering the groups to compete in the markets within and outside the country and continent.
However, the TAWLA CEO mentioned numerous levies, saying they have been a stumbling block to women entrepreneurs.
University of Dodoma Lecturer Dr Paul Loisulie said President Samia’s speech was a call that countries should get rid of ‘business as usual’ attitude.
African countries have been very good in making good policies and guidelines, but the implementation remained a challenge.
“We also need continuity, the successor in leadership has to develop priorities set by the predecessor to give a push,” Dr Loisulie urged.
In her speech, President Samia noted that in strengthening the participation of women and young people in business, the AfCFTA conference should look into the possibility of a protocol for women and young people to be given priority by the government to ensure that public procurement is carried out by companies owned by women and youth.
“In this country, the law says at least 30 per cent of public procurement must be awarded to the women companies,” President Samia said
President Samia mentioned the steps taken by the government to solve business challenges for women and young people in the country, including creating a friendly environment for them to get loans, finding markets for them, giving them standard certificates and reducing the regulatory system.
“In overcoming business challenges for women and young people in the country,” on the Tanzanian side, we have asked various banks to open special windows for providing loans to women and youth at affordable interest rates,” she said.
Speaking at the conference’s closing yesterday, Zanzibar First Vice-President Othman Masoud Othman urged African women and youth to seize the opportunities present on the continent for the good of their countries, particularly in light of the wealth on offer.
“After this meeting, I encourage you to keep in touch and work together more to share expertise in promoting business and jointly achieve the Africa we desire,” he said.
AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene said what has been encouraging at the conference was listening to interventions, views and opinions about how to move to develop the continent.
“The AfCFTA is owned by all of us, and we all have a duty to improve the condition of our continent, it’s not the work of the government alone,” he said.