Prof. Riziki Shemdoe Rallying Women Fishers to Maximize President Samia’s 11 Billion Shilling Offer

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – The Tanzanian government is encouraging women involved in small-scale fishing to join groups to access opportunities for borrowing modern equipment, including boats, enabling them to fish in deeper waters.

‘For women to be able to move away from buying fish from the beaches, they need to join groups, find their captains, and get into fishing,’ said Prof. Riziki Shemdoe, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries.

Prof. Shemdoe made these remarks during the opening of a workshop aimed at building the capacity of associations, cooperatives, and women’s groups involved in small-scale fishing in Africa, taking place in Dar es Salaam from December 5 to 7, 2023.

He added that Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has allocated 11 billion Tanzanian shillings (about $5 million) to provide loans for purchasing boats to fishermen in the country, encouraging women to seize this opportunity to enhance their businesses and overall livelihoods.

Prof. Shemdoe also urged the women to use the meeting for exchanging experiences and building business relationships, including sharing business opportunities between their respective regions.

The meeting, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, has been attended by women from over 20 countries in Africa and Asia.

The workshop offered training on various topics, including fish marketing, business management, and gender equality, and provides an opportunity for women to network and learn from each other’s experiences.