'TGNP to Magufuli: ‘Consider women first in replacements

At the same time, through the Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP), about 10 activists’ associations expressed their satisfactory over the president’s efforts to fight embezzlement of public funds and block loopholes facilitating massive loss of taxpayers’ money.
TGNP Executive Director Lilian Liundi told reporters yesterday that the decrease in women presence was noticed after associations analysed by gender the most recent appointments, noticing that women acquired low positions compared to the fourth-phase government.
However, activists said that the strategy to ensure balance in appointments hasn’t yet been delayed despite the fact that appointments are mostly over, expressing doubts over possible drop-outs of some recently appointed civil servants through failure to cope with the president’s speed of accountability.
They therefore urged Dr. Magufuli consider women whenever replacements are needed so as to fill the gender balance gap.
The TGNP chief executive released the data yesterday in Dar es Salaam pointing out that in Dr. Magufuli’s cabinet, there are only four women out of 19 ministers, a neat reduction of what there was earlier last year.

At present women make up 21.1 percent of the cabinet, while compared to 2015 in appointment done on January 24 last year, women were 10 out of 30 ministers, equal to 33.3 percent presence.
“This time, women appointment has dropped and deputy ministers’ appointments show the same trend, with only five women out of 16, equal to 31.24 percent,” she said.
About 26 out of the 29 appointed permanent secretaries were men, equal to 89.7 percent while women decreased from five, equivalent to 21.7 percent in 2014 to three this year, equal to 10.3 percent presence, in which case there is a decrease of 10 percent.
On regional commissioners (RCs), she said that 21 out of the appointed 26 RCs in Tanzanian Mainland were men, equal to 80 percent and the rest were women, equal to 20 percent.
The appointed district commissioners (DCs) by Dr Magufuli for Tanzania Mainland, women are 28.89 percent compared to men at 71.1 percent, with the total having decreased by seven percent compared to the last year where women presence stood at 35.07 percent.
Agnes Lukanga from the Tanzania Women Artists Network or Binti Leo, said that it should be remembered that Tanzania had signed various regional and international agreements which set basics over human equality including rights and equality in leadership participation at all levels.
“We all urge the president and other leaders to effectively supervise and enforce implementation of all the signed agreements, especially those concerning gender equality so as to fill the gap,” she specified