Equity Bank Tanzania has taken a decisive step toward advancing women’s participation in the country’s construction industry by sponsoring the annual conference of the Tanzania Women Contractors Association (TWCA). The move underlines the bank’s commitment to financial inclusion and its determination to close gender gaps in one of Tanzania’s fastest-growing sectors.
The initiative is aimed at giving women contractors greater access to capital, markets and skills so they can compete more effectively for major infrastructure projects. In Tanzania, women remain significantly underrepresented in high-value construction contracts despite the industry’s rapid expansion. The sponsorship of TWCA’s flagship event sends a clear message that the bank is ready to support change through both funding and practical solutions.
This year’s conference was held under the theme “Empowering Women Contractors: From Policy to Impact” and brought together senior government officials, regulators and industry leaders. Attendees included representatives from the Ministry of Works, the Contractors Registration Board (CRB), the Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS), the Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA) and the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), alongside key private sector players. Discussions focused on how to move from policy promises to tangible results, ensuring that women can secure a fair share of opportunities in the infrastructure sector.
For Equity Bank Tanzania, the event was not just about sponsorship but about showing how financial institutions can be active partners in building inclusive economies. The bank’s Head of Business Finance and Working Capital, Stephen Matinya, said they have developed tailored financial products to meet the needs of women contractors. These include working capital loans, financial advisory services and user-friendly digital platforms to make transactions faster and more transparent.
“We want to ensure women have the same opportunities as men in bidding for tenders, securing funding and building sustainable businesses,” Matinya said, stressing that access to finance is a critical foundation for growth in the sector.
The bank’s support goes beyond lending. Senior Manager for Business Finance and Working Capital, Jacqueline Mollel, highlighted that financial access must be matched with strong business skills. She explained that Equity Bank regularly runs training sessions for women contractors to improve financial management, enhance record-keeping and adopt technology for managing large-scale projects. These skills, she noted, are essential for contractors who want to scale their businesses and compete at the highest level.
Figures from the CRB reveal the scale of the challenge. Women contractors currently account for less than 15 percent of large infrastructure contracts in Tanzania. Limited access to capital, high collateral requirements and a lack of timely market information are among the main barriers holding them back. Without targeted interventions, these challenges will continue to limit women’s ability to contribute to and benefit from the country’s infrastructure boom.
Equity Bank’s approach is designed to address these issues head-on. By offering flexible financing models and reducing barriers to credit, the bank hopes to empower more women to bid for and win high-value contracts. This, in turn, could open the door to a more balanced and inclusive construction sector where women have an equal opportunity to participate in shaping Tanzania’s physical and economic landscape.
Sponsoring TWCA’s annual conference is also part of a broader strategy to encourage collaboration between financial institutions, government agencies and private sector stakeholders. Equity Bank believes that such partnerships are essential for creating a supportive business environment. When institutions work together, they can help ensure that women are not only included in policy discussions but also able to access the tools, capital and networks needed to succeed.
The impact of this kind of engagement goes beyond the individual contractors who receive loans or attend training. By enabling more women to take on larger and more complex projects, the sector gains a more diverse pool of talent and perspectives. This diversity can lead to more innovative approaches, better project outcomes and stronger community engagement. At the national level, increased participation of women in infrastructure development can contribute to job creation, poverty reduction and economic resilience.
Equity Bank Tanzania’s support for the TWCA conference demonstrates that closing gender gaps in construction is not just a matter of social equity but also of economic strategy. By investing in women contractors, the bank is investing in the future of the sector and in the broader goal of inclusive national development. It is a move that reinforces the idea that when more people are given the opportunity to contribute, the whole economy benefits.
With ongoing partnerships and a commitment to providing both capital and capacity-building, Equity Bank aims to help rewrite the story of Tanzania’s construction sector. Instead of being a field where women struggle to gain a foothold, it could become a space where they thrive, compete and lead. The sponsorship of the TWCA conference is one step toward that vision but its ripple effects could be felt for years as more women gain the means and the confidence to build the future of Tanzania.
