Unguja. The chairperson of the National Advisory Committee for the Gender Equality Platform (GEF), has urged the private sector to create comprehensive databases of qualified female professionals.
This, she said, will facilitate their recruitment, promotion, and placement into leadership roles.
Kairuki made the call on Saturday, December 14, 2024, during a national gender equality platform meeting with private sector leaders in Zanzibar.
She emphasised that achieving gender equality is not only a matter of social justice but also a driver of economic growth.
“Given the momentum we are building, I encourage every business and institution to adopt gender-sensitive criteria for leadership, ensuring that we build inclusive workplaces,” she said.
Ms Kairuki, who also serves as an advisor to President Samia Suluhu Hassan, urged organisations to implement policies that promote equal pay, flexible working hours, and a zero-tolerance approach to harassment.
She also highlighted the unique economic and social context of Zanzibar, pointing out that the region has an invaluable opportunity to integrate gender equality into its broader development agenda.
“This platform serves as a reminder that the private sector can spearhead significant changes in gender equality, and leaders can play a crucial role by being proactive employers, investors, and innovators,” she stated.
However, Ms Kairuki was clear that gender equality should not come at the expense of ignoring the challenges faced by men.
“It is important to create opportunities for both men and women to succeed, ensuring an inclusive environment where everyone thrives. Our goal is to build a society where no one is left behind,” she added.
UN Women Deputy Resident Representative, Ms Katherine Gifford, supported Ms Kairuki’s remarks, emphasising that the private sector has the potential to address key issues such as pay disparities, inequality, and gender-based violence.
She also noted that businesses can promote women’s education, training, and professional development while adapting their procurement practices to be more inclusive.
“As we move forward, we need to strengthen partnerships between the private sector, the government, civil society, academia, and international organizations. These collaborations will enhance the sharing of resources and expertise, accelerating efforts to achieve gender equality,” said Ms Gifford.
The Minister for Community Development, Gender, Elderly, and Children, Ms Riziki Pembe Juma, underscored that gender equality is attainable with commitment.
“This effort should go beyond institutions and extend to our homes, ensuring equal opportunities for both girls and boys,” she said.
The Zanzibar’s House of Representatives Deputy Speaker, Ms Mgeni Hassan Juma also emphasized the importance of empowering women across all sectors.
“Each institution has a responsibility to ensure women are given the opportunities to lead and succeed. We must address policy challenges that could act as barriers to this progress,” she said.
Zanzibar National Chamber Of Commerce (ZNCC) chief executive officer Hamad Hamad, revealed that women make up 40 percent of the chamber’s members.
“We are seeing a growing number of female entrepreneurs, but more needs to be done to create equal standards that attract more women into business and leadership roles,” he stated.
The Jumbi Market secretary Faki Suleiman Khatib, called for more training and guidelines, recognizing that societal norms can be difficult to change.
“Not all challenges will be easy to solve, but we must come together to decide what is possible and educate the community on the changes needed,” he said.
The Zanzibar Day Care director, Ms Happiness Johnson, also spoke about discrimination against people with disabilities, stressing the need for equal opportunities for all.
“Many institutions exclude people with disabilities, and this must change. They should be given the same opportunities as others, based on their abilities,” she said.
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Tanzania: Samia Hands Over NBC’s 354m/ – Crop Insurance Compensation to Farmers Affected By Hailstorms
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has handed over a cheque of 354m/- from the National Bank of Commerce (NBC) as compensation to tobacco farmers, who were affected by hailstorms during the previous farming season in various regions across the country.
Handing over the cheque in Dodoma, the compensation is part of the crop insurance service provided by NBC in collaboration with the National Insurance Corporation (NIC).
Furthermore, President Samia has also handed over health insurance coverage to members of the Lindi Mwambao Cooperative Union based in Lindi Region, through the Farmers’ Health Insurance service provided by the bank in partnership with Assurance Insurance Company.
While visiting the bank’s pavilion at the Nanenane Agricultural Exhibition and being received and briefed by the bank’s Managing Director, Mr. Theobald Sabi, she said: “This crop insurance is one of the crucial solutions in ensuring farmers have a reliable income, without fear of challenges such as natural disasters, including hailstorms.
“I call upon all farmers in the country to make the best use of this important opportunity by accessing these kinds of insurance services. I also highly commend NBC and all the stakeholders participating in this programme.”
Elaborating further on the crop insurance service, the Minister of Agriculture, Hussein Bashe, stated that it will help to recover the loss farmers incurred, especially in various calamities beyond their control.
Citing them as floods, fires, and hailstorms, which have significantly affected the well-being of farmers and caused some to be reluctant to invest in the crucial sector, Mr Bashe added: “However, our President, this step by NBC is just the beginning, as this is the second year since they started offering this service, and the results are already visible.
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“As the government, we promise to continue supporting the wider implementation of this service, with the goal of ensuring that this crop insurance service reaches more farmers.”
ALSO READ: NBC participates in TFF 2023/24 awards, promises to enhance competition
On his part, Mr Sabi said that the farmers who benefited from the compensations are from 23 primary cooperative unions in the regions of Shinyanga, Geita, Tabora, Mbeya, Katavi, and Kigoma.
He added: “In addition to these insurance services, as a bank, through this exhibition, we have continued with our programme of providing financial education and various banking opportunities to farmers, alongside offering them various loans, including loans for agricultural equipment, particularly tractors, to eligible farmers.:
At the NBC booth, President Samia also had the opportunity to be briefed on the various services offered by the bank to the farmers namely crop insurance and health insurance services.
There, the President had the chance to speak with some of the beneficiaries of the services, including the Vice-Chairman of the Lindi Mwambao Primary Cooperative Union, Mr. Hassan Mnumbe, whose union has been provided with a health insurance card from the bank.
Source: allafrica.com
Tanzania Declares End of Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak
Tanzania today declared the end of Marburg virus disease outbreak after recording no new cases over 42 days since the death of the last confirmed case on 28 January 2025.
The outbreak, in which two confirmed and eight probable cases were recorded (all deceased), was the second the country has experienced. Both this outbreak, which was declared on 20 January 2025, and the one in 2023 occurred in the north-eastern Kagera region.
In response to the latest outbreak, Tanzania’s health authorities set up coordination and response systems, with support from World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, at the national and regional levels and reinforced control measures to swiftly detect cases, enhance clinical care, infection prevention as well as strengthen collaboration with communities to raise awareness and help curb further spread of the virus.
Growing expertise in public health emergency response in the African region has been crucial in mounting effective outbreak control measures. Drawing on experience from the response to the 2023 Marburg virus disease outbreak, WHO worked closely with Tanzanian health authorities to rapidly scale up key measures such as disease surveillance and trained more than 1000 frontline health workers in contact tracing, clinical care and public health risk communication. The Organization also delivered over five tonnes of essential medical supplies and equipment.
“The dedication of frontline health workers and the efforts of the national authorities and our partners have paid off,” said Dr Charles Sagoe-Moses, WHO Representative in Tanzania. “While the outbreak has been declared over, we remain vigilant to respond swiftly if any cases are detected and are supporting ongoing efforts to provide psychosocial care to families affected by the outbreak.”
Building on the momentum during the acute phase of the outbreak response, measures have been put in place to reinforce the capacity of local health facilities to respond to potential future outbreaks. WHO and partners are procuring additional laboratory supplies and other equipment for disease detection and surveillance and other critical services.
Marburg virus disease is highly virulent and causes haemorrhagic fever. It belongs to the same family as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease. Illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly. Patients present with high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. They may develop severe haemorrhagic symptoms within seven days.
In the African region, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.
Source: allafrica.com
Ground handling firms in Zanzibar start cutting jobs
ZAT and Transworld, companies providing ground handling services at Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, have to lay off workers to stay afloat.Continue Reading
