Economic Empowerment
Dodoma — The government will pump Sh2 billion into the Tanzania Women Bank (TWB) during the 2011/12 fiscal year to enable more women to secure loans.
The minister for Community Development, Gender and Children, Ms Sophia Simba, told the National Assembly yesterday that the amount represents 50 per cent of development budget allocated to the ministry. "TWB disbursed a total of Sh9.7 billion loans to 3,862 women and 855 men in 2010/2012," she added.
Unveiling her ministry's budget estimates for 2011/2012 financial year, Ms Simba said, the bank in collaboration with her ministry would continue to encourage more wananchi into joining it.
Ms Simba was seeking for parliamentary endorsement to her ministry's Sh16.256 billion budget estimates. She told the house that Sh7.08 billion will be used for recurrent expenses.In order to curb the ever-growing number of street children, the ministry will complete and start implementation of the community based strategy to limit the problem.
"We will also encourage district councils across the country to implement various strategies that aims to curb the street children problem," she said. Ms Simba also said that in order to have a proper record of non-governmental organisations operating in the country her ministry has established a website which will record all details regarding NGOs in the country. The website address is hppt://www.tnnc.go.tz.
Both the ministry watchdog parliamentary committee and the opposition camp in the house urged the government to open TWB branches in other regions of the country.
Ms Naomi Kaihula, Gender, Children and Community Development shadow minister said currently only Dar es Salaam residents benefit from most of the ministry's development budget due to the fact that over 50 per cent of the budget goes to TWB. The opposition also urged the government to re-introduce Women Council.