Private and Public Sector Leaders get candid about Breaking the Bias

It was a full house as members of the CEO Roundtable of Tanzania (CEOrt) came together to honour International Women’s Day during the March monthly meeting. For years, the forum, which comprises business leaders from multiple sectors of the economy, has championed diversity and inclusion as part of the shared purpose to enhance impact in leadership and Tanzania’s sustainable socio-economic prosperity. Enriched with personal perspectives, shared experiences and current insights, the dialogue at the event laid a strong foundation for building on the country’s vision of gender parity and equitable opportunities.

Gender balance is critical to unlocking sustainable prosperity. Furthermore, empirical evidence demonstrates that increasing female representation in leadership positions results in enhanced performance. For the private sector, this serves as a key driving factor in celebrating Women’s Day and the mission it stands for.?

At the International Women’s Day celebrations, the CEOrt welcomed Hon. Ambassador Liberata Mulamula, Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, as the keynote speaker and Guest of Honour. Hon. Amb.? Mulamula represented H.E. President Samia Suluhu Hassan, whom the CEOrt applauds for her accomplishments in the gender inclusion space. For Tanzania, this year’s Women’s Day celebrations are indeed special, as it is the first time we commemorate the day with a sitting female president. Relaying President Samia’s message to the forum, Amb. Mulamula acknowledged the CEOrt’s contribution to the nation’s development while encouraging the business leaders to further assist the government in identifying and eradicating obstacles to economic growth, as well as propose solutions to support continued economic prosperity. Concluding her keynote address, Amb. Mulamula summarized our current scenario. “On this Women’s Day, we are called to imagine a gender-equal world. Beyond imagining it, we need to walk the talk. Women are underrepresented in corporations and encounter many societal barriers to advancement. The Government of Tanzania has progressively worked to ensure increased participation of women in various positions - we have seen the appointments made, but our accomplishments do not erase the wide gender gap that still exists. As the first female president of the country, H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan shoulders a heavy burden of the expectations the world has on her making strides in bringing gender parity. Alone, she can only do so much, but together, we can break the bias,” she said.

Contributing to the discussion, CEOrt Chairman, Mr. Sanjay Rughani, referenced “ABCs” as important building blocks to help address chronic discrimination. “Begin by admitting the problem - you cannot break the bias without acknowledging you are biased to begin with. Secondly, be brave enough to take action. And thereafter, each time we make progress, we must keep count and derive self-motivation from it,” he said. In this regard, the CEOrt has publicly advocated for gender equality and diversity, leveraged their leadership influence to advance equality by supporting female empowerment, and continue to draw inspiration from the progress made - female representation in the organization's membership has seen an 86% increase over the last three years.

Invaluable insights and life lessons were also revealed in a panel discussion moderated by CEOrt Executive Director Ms. Santina Majengo-Benson and included Hon. Amb. Mulamula, Ms. Brenda Msangi - CEOrt Board Director and CEO CCBRT, Mr. Moremi Marwa - CEO Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE), and Ms. Jokate Mwegelo - Temeke District Commissioner (DC). Amb. Mulamula further challenged business leaders to move out of their comfort zones, noting that it has been difficult to motivate private sector participation in key sectors that impact women and society at large. The sectors mentioned included water and youth employment, with the Minister recommending implementing dedicated programmes that target these areas.? She emphasized a particular focus on championing women empowerment in ways that truly breaks the bias as opposed to the small-scale opportunities that have been the norm. With lessons from personal experiences, Ms. Mwegelo urged the need to go back to basics and teach the desired family values. By enabling communities to share that vision of gender parity, we can instil the spirit of purpose in the upcoming generation and shape their future behaviour. Ms. Msangi emphasized the importance of female leaders sharing their stories as an avenue of mentoring, coaching, and leading young women, while also putting policies in place that will foster diversity for future generations.?

According to the DSE Gender Diversity Scorecard, female board representation in Tanzania’s listed companies is only 22%. 28.6% of the companies listed have at least 30% female representation on their boards, while research shows that minorities start to have an impact at a 30% representation threshold. Furthermore, of the 28 listed companies, only 1 listed company is led by a female CEO. These statistics were shared by Mr. Marwa, indicating that the private sector is still at the beginning of the journey towards attaining gender parity. However, this also presents an opportunity for businesses to embrace good governance and sustainable practices as for companies listed on the DSE, it is mandatory to report on what they are doing in the diversity space.

Delivering on the dream of gender equality for the country’s sustainable and equitable development is a journey.? Whilst the CEOrt’s International Women’s Day commemoration yielded significant food for thought for both the private and public sectors, continued collaborative efforts will be the key to driving equality today for a sustainable tomorrow. The dialogue on how to ‘think equal and lead smart’ was insightful, and “walking that talk” will be what makes a difference in breaking the bias, smashing stereotypes, and catalyzing change.