Project
Building government capacity to break the glass ceiling in Tanzania
The EU Gender Programme works to foster gender equality in Tanzania.
A three-year technical assistance (TA) in Tanzania is helping reduce gender disparities by improving governance and communication efforts.
March 30, 2026
- SDG: #5, #10, #16
- SECTORS: Development Consulting
- COUNTRIES: Tanzania
- CLIENT: European Commission
- CONTRACT VALUE: EUR 2.322 million
- DURATION: June 2023 – June 2026
- PARTNER: Tanzania Gender Networking Program
In its vision for 2050, Tanzania lays out its aspirations to become a nation where all individuals, particularly women, “benefit from equitable, comprehensive, and sustainable social protection that upholds dignity and promotes well-being.”
The East African nation has made important steps: comprehensive policies have been introduced, and data show declines in gender-based violence (GBV) and violence against women and children. Female genital mutilation (FGM) prevalence has fallen from 10% in 2016 to 8% today. Women now make up almost of public service officials, and there are as many girls as boys in primary schools.
Yet significant challenges remain. In nine regions, few girls progress to lower secondary education, and FGM still exceeds 40% in four regions. Policies, though well-crafted, have yet to be fully implemented, constrained by a lack of support services. Legislation, such as laws on GBV and marriage, are delayed or being amended amid court challenges.
In this context, the European Union delegation (EUD) in Tanzania and the Tanzanian Government have partnered to launch the Gender Transformative Action Programme. Also known as Breaking the Glass Ceiling, the programme focusses on introducing equitable policies, improving economic opportunities, and broadening women’s participation in public life.
Building systems that deliver
NIRAS has been contracted to deliver a three-year TA worth EUR 2.3 million. As GTAP TA lead Dr Suma Kaare says, “This has been crucial in equipping government systems to translate gender policies into real, measurable progress for women and girls.”
The NIRAS team is working to build the capacity of the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups (hereafter the Gender Ministry) on mainland, along with health, education, and justice agencies, to deliver gender policy more effectively. Support focusses on aligning planning and spending with gender equality priorities, improving monitoring of gender policy implementation, and ensuring coordination across stakeholders.
A central pillar of the programme is gender-responsive budgeting (GRB), ensuring that gender commitments are reflected in how public funds are allocated and spent. Through EU sector budget support, ministries receive funding to implement agreed priorities — with further disbursements linked to demonstrated results.
“Catalytic funding is unlocking government action. It is not replacing public financing — it is shifting it toward priority gender equality investments.”
Chiara Guidetti, EUD programme manager
17
ministries, departments, and agencies involved in budget support
53
%
increase in gender ministry budget from 2021 to 2024
59000
officials trained on gender-responsive budgeting
“Digital training systems are strengthening continuity and resilience, even in contexts of high staff turnover.”
Mohamed Omary, former President’s Office minister
Following gaps in dossier quality in 2022, NIRAS supported ministries to strengthen policy alignment, data collection, and monitoring systems. It developed clear guidance for disbursement dossiers, contributed to submissions from 2023 to 2025, and introduced a reporting tool to track indicators across agencies. As a result, all subsequent dossiers have met higher compliance standards.
At the same time, GRB is being embedded more systematically across government. Working closely with the Ministry of Finance and the Gender Ministry, the team has helped refine budgeting processes, including requirements for ministries to define gender equality targets within their allocations. More than 59,000 national and local officials have been trained, demonstrating how existing resources can be used more effectively to address gender disparities.
Efforts are also underway to harmonise indicators and reporting formats, laying the foundation for a digital monitoring system that will support more transparent, data-driven decision-making and feed directly into budget support reporting.
These reforms are already translating into increased investment. The Gender Ministry’s budget rose from TZS 47 billion (EUR 15.7 million) in 2021 to TZS 76 billion (EUR 25 million) in 2024, enabling expanded services in GBV response, legal aid, and women’s empowerment.
Changing social norms
Alongside institutional reforms, the programme is addressing social norms that underpin gender inequality. Although the Gender Ministry has previously run several social and behavioural change communication campaigns, there is a need for further targeted, consistent, and well-funded initiatives. Together with the Gender Ministry, the project team co-created a national communications strategy centred on the message “Inspired to lead: change begins with me.”
Targeted campaigns address social norms that perpetuate inequalities and spread word about the Ministry’s available services and policies: from a series that showcased Tanzanians who used their positions to challenge such disparities to initiatives for men exploring their role in advancing gender equality. One of the campaign series also produced interviews with notable Tanzanian women challenging stereotypes and inspiring viewers.
Local heroes and leaders – including religious figures and community media – are actively engaged in building trust and relevance and ensuring work continues when the project ends. The project team also holds symposiums and outreach events to connect with stakeholders and gather more stories for the campaign. The communication strategy – spanning print media articles, radio interviews, and shareable video and podcasts – has since reached over 12 million Tanzanians.
‘A woman can do more than the usual things’
Part of the series was an interview with singer Frida Amani, where she narrated how women have moved up in the Tanzanian music scene despite the odds.
60
% conviction rate for offenders in 2024
1600
gender desks across the country
1800000
victims supported with legal aid
Measuring impact
The EU Gender Programme is proof that strengthening government capacity can indeed catalyse improved gender action. Since the programme commenced, GBV prevention and response services have scaled with 1,600 gender desks and 8,666 child protection desks across the country. It has reached 10.7 million people and helped 500,000 survivors. Legal aid services unlocked through the project have come to the aid of 1.85 million victims, doubling conviction rates for offenders from 32% in 2021 to 60% in 2024.
For Alex Shayo, programme coordinator at the Gender Ministry, the NIRAS-led project has turned commitment into action — one more step toward Tanzania’s commitment to redressing gender disparities. “With expert support and guidance, we’ve turned policy into progress, ensuring services are available, women lead, girls learn, and harmful practices decline.”
“Strategic catalytic investments are enabling us to prioritise GBV response, legal aid, and women’s empowerment within national budgets.”
Dr Dorothy Gwajima, Minister of Gender
