Business Women in Tanzania

The Foundation worked in Tanzania between 2012-2016.

In Tanzania, many women struggle to access vital resources, such as land and credit, as well as education and economic opportunities. For female entrepreneurs who are looking to start or expand a business, these challenges can seriously hinder their ability to achieve their full potential.

To help women overcome these barriers, the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, in partnership with the ExxonMobil Foundation and the Tanzania Gatsby Trust (TGT), delivered an innovative package of support designed to strengthen women-owned businesses in Tanzania. Together, we provided over 260 women entrepreneurs with services and training on a range of vital skills, including business registration and rights awareness.

At the end of the project in 2016, an evaluation undertaken with 114 women found that:

  • 100% of the women now keep records
  • 99% of the women feel more confident
  • 92% of the women increased their sales
  • 72% of the women are saving through their businesses

The evaluation also found that household members, relatives and the wider community benefited from the women’s improved financial situation:

  • 97% of the women confirmed that their increased business revenue led to better household nutrition
  • 94% of the women reported that they had improved their children’s education, due to their increased ability to pay school fees
  • Over 70 of the women had taken on leadership roles in their communities

When this project started it also included a mobile service for women entrepreneurs. Launched in partnership with the ExxonMobil Foundation and Nokia in 2012, Business Women was an innovative service which provided 100,000 women across Tanzania, Nigeria and Indonesia with business tips and training via their mobile phones. In 2014 an evaluation of the service found that the Business Women service delivered powerful results, empowering women entrepreneurs to feel more confident and optimistic, and less constrained about their life chances.

Download the 'Evaluating Business Women' 2014 report

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What was our impact in Tanzania? Take a look at the infographic now.

Take a look at our infographic about the Business Women Service:

Our partners

Business Women in Tanzania was supported by our partners Nokia and the ExxonMobil Foundation, and delivered with our partner Tanzania Gatsby Trust.