EXIM Bank to empower 600,000 women in four years

EXIM Bank through its Women Empowerment Programme (WEP) has provided comprehensive business training to women entrepreneurs to enhance inclusive participation and promote gender equality for women across Africa. Exim Head of Marketing, Mr Stanley Kafu at the training’s graduation ceremony said that the programme will continue for five years with the goal of reaching over 600,000 women by 2028.

“Exim Bank firmly believes that women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship are essential components of development plans in Tanzania and Africa as a whole.

“This belief is underscored by the increasing number of women assuming leadership positions across various sectors, including politics, social services, and the economy,” he said. The initiative targets countries where EXIM has branches, including Tanzania, Comoros, Djibouti, and Uganda. Under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme known as ‘Exim Cares’, Exim launched and continued to implement the WEP.

In this year’s first phase, three winners were selected and awarded cash prizes namely Beatrice Msafiri emerged as the first winner with 8.0m/-, Catherine Assenga with 5.0m/- and Rukia Mohamed with 3.0m/-.

Mr Kafu further stressed that the WEP forms part of a comprehensive strategy aimed at creating an enabling environment for women to excel and prosper, particularly in the economic sphere.