At the time of the field visit to Tanzania (November 2003), there was no formal focal point for women’s entrepreneurship development within the government. An officer in the MIT-SME Section was assigned responsibility for co-implementing the ILO-WEDGE programme in collaboration with the ILO Dar es Salaam Office. She undertaking projects focused on promoting women entrepreneurs as role models, working on the development of viable women entrepreneurs’ associations, and coordinating gender mainstreaming workshops within the SME stakeholder group. The Ministry of Community Development, Gender (formerly Women) and Children is interested in SMEs as a way of improving livelihoods in communities through women and children. It is involved in programmes to empower women through entrepreneurship development and the promotion of gender equity issues. The Ministry of Labour, Youth and Sports Development (MoLYSD) has also played a role in policy coordination. However, there did not appear to be any forum for regular meetings with other ministries and departments to discuss common issues, perspectives, and roles with regard to development of women’s enterprise.
The challenge of changing the environment for women entrepreneurs goes beyond the jurisdiction of the MIT alone, requiring advocacy within other ministries and levels of government, and negotiation and coordination with donor agencies and NGOs on strategically targeted initiatives to improve the performance of women entrepreneurs and their enterprises. Many donor-assisted MSED projects do target women’s enterprise development, but these are generally dwarfed by their other components, they rarely conclude with any evaluation of impact, and they are not inventoried in a common database. One recent exception has been the FAIDA project, funded with assistance from the Government of the Netherlands. There has generally been little sharing of lessons learned and good practice in reaching women-owned MSEs and serving their needs, especially for growth. Some regions are more advanced than others in formulating activities to support the development of women’s enterprises at the local level, and most require further education and capacity-building. The need for gender sensitization among policy-makers and implementation agencies continues to be great.
More resources at a higher level within the Ministry could facilitate greater advocacy by key agencies (e.g., those in the government, donors, micro-finance, and business development service provider networks) to support the development and growth of enterprises owned by women.
7.1 Recommended actions – policy coordination
and leadership
(i) Staff an official position responsible for women’s enterprise development
In the immediate term, it is recommended that a staff position for women’s enterprise development be created within the MIT-SME Section, and that it be given responsibility for developing a work plan to foster growth-oriented women entrepreneurs, and for cooperating with partners to implement the plan. It is also important that this modality be planned and implemented in consultation with the Ministry of Community Development, Gender and Children (MoCDGC), and be linked to existing expertise within the Tanzania Gender Network (TGNP).
(ii) Establish an Office of Women’s Enterprise Development (OWED)
In the longer term, it is recommended that the Tanzanian Government take steps, in association with MoCDGC and the TGNP, to establish an Office of Women’s Enterprise Development (OWED) and that the authority for such an Office be given status within the SMEDP Implementation Framework.
This Office would be tasked with all issues pertaining to the development of women’s enterprise development in the country, including: research; advocacy efforts on behalf of women-owned MSMEs with other ministries and departments; negotiation with donors for strategic support in favour of the development and growth of women-owned enterprises, and; fostering an enabling environment that will alleviate the barriers women face in their MSME activities. The model practice for this is the Office of Women’s Business Ownership in the US Small Business Administration, which was put in place by the Women’s Business Ownership Act of 1988. This was a landmark event in women’s entrepreneurship development in the United States.
The proposed OWED would also be responsible for spearheading initiatives to ensure gender mainstreaming in MSME programmes and networks. This should include promoting use of the ILO’s FAMOS Check (gender audit tool) by all those developing policies, programmes and services for the MSME sector.
(iii) Establish an inter-ministerial committee on women’s enterprise
Additionally, it is recommended that an inter-ministerial committee on women’s enterprise be established with the mandate to work across government agency and donor lines to foster the growth and development of women’s businesses. It would also advocate at all levels of Government for responsive change to ensure implementation of the gender equality polices laid out in the SMEDP Implementation Framework. A WEDGE-Tanzania Steering Committee, as proposed in discussions between the ILO and MIT and recommended in the Memorandum of Understanding between the two organizations, could provide an excellent model for future implementation.
(iv) Conduct systematic research on the state of women in the MSE sector
To support the work of the OWED and the inter-ministerial committee, more systematic research on the state of women in the MSE sector will be required. As soon as practical, it is recommended that a comprehensive survey of the state of women in the MSE sector be conducted. The results of this study will be useful to underpin advocacy positions to improve the operating conditions of women-owned MSEs and foster their growth. In addition, an inventory of initiatives targeted to women should be compiled and used to promote best practice approaches among regions.
(v) Ensure the participation of women entrepreneurs on the National Business Council and the SME Forum
(vi) Hold donor-government meetings to discuss women’s enterprise development as a strategic priority
Finally, it is recommended that a meeting be held between MIT-SME Section officials and donor agencies to discuss the development of women’s enterprise development as a strategic priority for coordinated donor funding. Consideration should be given to setting up a DAC sub-group on the issue of women’s enterprise development.