ALAF Tanzania has set strategies that aim to have 30 percent women in the company's senior management by 2030.

The good news was stated by the company’s Human Resources Manager Jumbe Onjero during the launching of the Girls for Girls program, which was held in Dar es Salaam. 

“The program is intended to encourage women to have confidence and work hard in the company’s hierarchy; it is also aimed at implementing international efforts such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially goal number five on gender equality and the empowerment of women in all spheres of life”, he said. 

According to HR, self-confidence, self-awareness, and cooperation for women are among the factors that will motivate women to achieve various developments including effective leadership in the workplace especially in the manufacturing sector something, which he said, will be insisted on during the program.

He further noted that the program was initiated to encourage women so that they can have confidence in higher managerial positions.

 “We have a program that has been established, its main goal is to see how women are in the higher levels of management teams including in our company because in the industrial sector, most positions are held by men, only a few women are in high decision-making positions in the manufacturing sector,” said Onjero.

“We plan to have at least five percent of women moving up from the lower positions of the management up the ladder to higher managerial posts every year towards the year 2030’s target of 30 percent target”, he said, adding, that 14 percent have so far been empowered to achieve that goal in the past three years. 

One of the beneficiaries of the program, Glory Kimaro, said that through the various trainings they have been subjected to, they have been able to get chances to sit in the company’s managerial team’s higher positions a move which she said has also helped improved their well-being and those of their families.

“Even the solidarity which we have in this program will help us (women employees) have an opportunity to exchange ideas and everyone will after this program have something new which will help her have confidence when allowed to lead the managerial positions”, she added. 

ALAF's External Affairs Manager, Hawa Bayumi said that through the Women and Leadership Program, there is a product named Safal Circles that enables women to support each other and collaborate to improve their relationships while at work and outside work areas. 

“Also, the program will enable us to understand ourselves and do things that will help us in the managerial positions we are entrusted to hold”, said Bayuni. 

The manager said the projects will help them solve their own challenges as ordinary people and as leaders within the company. 

Talent expert, Purity Kiyange said positive changes for women start with women themselves because everything they do is for themselves and the benefit of the entire society. 

She said the goal of raising women through the program is to make them gain confidence in leadership rather than competing; when women gain confidence they will become better leaders and will be able to solve many of the challenges they face and commit themselves more to society. 

However, she said what is needed was to eliminate the gap between women and men in managerial positions, citing that in many universities in the country, those holding high positions are men.

“We need to be women who are skilled in leadership and show positive results by doing something different in the society,” said Kiyange.