Source: Bernama
At least 3,200 Tanzanian women Tigopesa agents will have the opportunity to be imparted with entrepreneurial skills, get access to soft loans and financial training,

thanks to a lucrative programme supported by the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, in collaboration with FINCA and USAID.

Speaking at the launch of the Tigopesa Women Empowerment Programme, Cherie Blair said she was proud to be part of the ground-breaking programme that incorporates both entrepreneurship and training for women.

"Mobile telecommunications is becoming about everything today, it helps how to communicate, transact, run our businesses and socialise.

Women are participating in the retail end, but very few are involved in the higher end where the large profits are. This programme aims to change this," she explained.

Blair said that during her travels when her husband, Tony Blair, was British Prime Minister, she was lucky in 2006 to have visited Tanzania and seen the drive and thirst for success for economic development.

She said after seeing how the mobile phone industry and the potentials it has in improving people's lives, she decided to set up the foundation three years ago to empower women in the mobile industry and beyond.

"While setting up the foundation, we conducted a study and found that women were participating in the industry, but just not in the best positions.

We are hoping to change that," she said. She said the partnership provided an excellent opportunity for female mobile agents, as it would lower barriers that women face in accessing financial services and promote the innovative adoptions of mobile technology amongst the women.

Tigo Tanzania General Manager, Diego Gutierrez, said they were honoured to partner with the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, USAID and FINCA in order to create more opportunities for women in the country by ensuring access to financial services, to markets and to communications technology.

"According to last year's UN report, women controlled over 70 per cent of Africa's economy informally," he highlighted.

FINCA Tanzania Chief Executive Officer, Tom Kocsis, said financial assistance and expertise provided by them was intended to help women start up a business as a mobile money agent or for existing agents, to manage better and grow their mobile money business.

"Our soft loans that will be provided through Tigo Pesa are intended to benefit women in both urban and rural areas. As a development partner, we also believe this will contribute towards women's empowerment as well as the community and the country at large," Kocsis explained.

The programme will be implemented for 18 months throughout the country.

• Tanzania