Project Brief
Financial Inclusion for Women in Trade Project
Implementation Partners
· Financial Sector Deepening – Tanzania (FSDT)
· Tanzania Women Chamber of Commerce (TWCC)
· Commercial banks, mobile network operators, and financial service providers
Implementation Period
2023-2026
Project Participants
Women-led MSMEs and women cross-border traders (WCBTs)
Commercial banks, mobile network operators (MNOs), and financial service providers (FSPs)
Project Value
USD 1 Million
Project Rationale
Women cross-border traders represent a substantial share of informal and small-scale trade in Tanzania, yet face persistent barriers to accessing affordable, reliable financial services. Limited financial and digital literacy, weak linkages with formal banking institutions, and gaps in gender-disaggregated data constrain women’s ability to save securely, access credit, and grow their businesses. TMA, working with FSDT and TWCC, supports women traders and entrepreneurs to access appropriate digital financial services and build stronger links with financial institutions. The project generates evidence to inform gender-responsive financial sector reforms and policy, addressing both supply-side gaps in product design and demand-side constraints in financial capability
Implementation Strategy
The project is structured around four interconnected areas of action:
- Women Cross-Border Traders: Delivering financial literacy training, digital finance clinics, and access-to-finance fairs that connect women entrepreneurs to banks, mobile network operators, and investment institutions- supporting onboarding into formal financial systems.
- Government and Regulators: Collaborating with trade and financial authorities to advance gender-responsive financial inclusion policies, supported by evidence and policy briefs generated through the project.
- Private Sector and Financial Institutions: Partnering with commercial banks, MNOs, and financial service providers to pilot and scale accessible financial products for women entrepreneurs, including digital platforms such as iSOKO for record-keeping, invoicing, and credit profiling.
- Evidence and Research: Conducting a financial inclusion assessment and a financial diaries study to generate real-time insights on women traders’ financial behaviours, informing product design and regulatory reform.
Elibariki Shammy – Country Director, Tanzania
Email: elibariki.shammy@trademarkafrica.com