Government’s Interest-Free Loans to Boost Women and Youth Empowerment
The government has allocated 39.5 billion Tanzanian shillings for the fiscal year 2024/25 to provide interest-free loans, particularly benefiting women and youth in Zanzibar. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to enhance economic empowerment among these groups.
On August 13, 2024, during the opening of a five-day training program at the Barefoot College in Kinyasini, North Unguja, the Executive Director of the Economic Empowerment Agency (ZEEA), Dr. Juma Burhan Muhamed, announced the allocation. This funding is aimed at supporting citizens through interest-free loans, with a focus on women and youth.
Dr. Muhamed explained that the government has also developed systems to facilitate citizens, including a new ZEEA Marketing platform integrated with the Postal Corporation. This platform will assist entrepreneurs in shipping their products internationally without additional costs. “This system allows entrepreneurs to connect and ship their products abroad without incurring extra expenses. These are the government’s visions to help entrepreneurs, especially women, improve their livelihoods,” Dr. Muhamed said.
The agency has already issued loans to 753 beekeeping groups, receiving 96.7 million shillings from 53 beekeeping groups.
Brenda Ndossi, the supervisor of the Barefoot College, shared that initially, women were sent to India for six months to receive training, including a month for language learning due to the international nature of the program. Upon returning, these women used their training to install solar energy systems in villages lacking electricity. This led to the establishment of the college in Zanzibar to serve the East African region.
The program includes projects like solar equipment manufacturing, tailoring, and beekeeping. Women interested in joining must be between 35 and 55 years old, whether married or not, and may not have attended school. The aim is to uplift women economically and contribute to the nation’s development. Women in the program are trained to assemble solar energy systems and perform maintenance when needed.
Ahmed Ahmed, the Registrar of Non-Governmental Organizations, stated that this training will improve women’s lives and enhance their economic status.
Several women shared their experiences with the training program. Tabia Khamis Mzaga, who learned solar energy technology, expressed initial apprehension but later found satisfaction in her new skills and looks forward to helping her community. Kazija Gharib Issa, a current instructor at the center, mentioned that the training allowed her to build a house and support her children, despite initial societal resistance.
Entrepreneur Salma Mzee Mussa, who completed the training, hopes to become a leading solar equipment technician to aid her community and improve her financial situation. She thanked her husband for his support and plans to use her skills to benefit her village.
At the opening of the training, Chief Secretary Zena Said expressed her admiration for the project, noting its potential to bring positive results to the community. She urged the center’s administrators to track how trained women are benefiting their villages. “This program is excellent; we see women engineers making solar energy systems, which is inspiring,” she said. The program supports the government’s efforts to provide rural areas with electricity and drive economic development.
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