On 6th May 2025, Tanzania’s Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) and Supivaa Advisory Africa, in partnership with Global Affairs Canada, hosted a Gender in Finance Forum in Dar es Salaam, showcasing strategies to improve access to finance for women-led micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Tanzania.
The forum convened stakeholders across the financial sector who showcased products developed through the Feminist Entrepreneurs Growing Green Economies (FEGGE) programme developed by MEDA, aiming to close the financing gap for women-owned businesses in Tanzania.
The event also marked the culmination of a training and coaching programme delivered by Supivaa under the FEGGE programme.
Participating financial service providers included FINCA Microfinance Bank, PassTrust and, Pass Leasing Company, and Tausi Africa.
Each organization presented gender-inclusive products designed to enhance access to finance for women entrepreneurs.
PassTrust showcased a collateral-free lending product that assesses business strength and cash flow to enable women without traditional assets to expand their business.
FINCA Microfinance Bank highlighted its gender-smart financial solutions, including gender-disaggregated data and internal assessments to align products with women’s needs.
Tausi Africa presented digital platforms offering data-driven financial tools to support women-led SMEs with improved access to markets and finance.
Speaking during the event, the Executive Director of the Tanzania Bankers Association (TBA), Ms Tuse Joune, emphasized the importance of inclusivity in the financial sector, noting that addressing gender disparities in access to finance is a strategy for sustainable economic growth.
She stressed the need for data-driven financial innovations that recognize the unique challenges women entrepreneurs face, particularly in accessing financing and customized financial products.
The Director affirmed TBA’s commitment to fostering a regulatory and policy environment that supports gender lens investing and called for stronger collaboration between financial institutions, government bodies, and development partners to scale up inclusive financing solutions.
On his part, MEDA Tanzania Country Director Musa Lubango stated, “Gender lens investment is the cornerstone of a resilient and inclusive agri-food market system. By aligning capital accessibility with gender equity, we can unlock economic opportunities that benefit everyone.”
In her closing remarks, the Assistant Director of Enterprise Development (SME) at Tanzania’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, Constansia Akaro, commended the efforts of the financial service providers participating in the FEGGE programme.
She acknowledged the importance of gender lens investing in bridging the financing gap for women and stressed the Ministry’s support for initiatives that promote inclusive financial systems.
MEDA’s Feminist Entrepreneurs Growing Green Economies (FEGGE)
In Tanzania, women account for 80% of the labour force and own 54% of all MSMEs and face an MSME women’s finance gap equivalent to 4% of GDP, or TZS 3.9 trillion (USD 1.7 billion).
To address this situation, the FEGGE project, funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC), aims to foster the equitable growth of feminist SMEs (F-SMEs) in Tanzania’s dryland regions by supporting resilient businesses for women and youth.
Through initiatives like the Gender in Finance Forum, the project promotes gender equality and social inclusion, climate change adaptation, financial inclusion, and decent work creation, targeting 310 feminist F-SMEs, 22,500 women entrepreneurs, and 6 business associations and incubators.
The project is part of a broader effort to build inclusive, sustainable economies by empowering women entrepreneurs and promoting gender equity within financial systems.
