TANESCO SINGIDA YAMAKATA WIZI WA UMEME

By Thobias Mwanakatwe, Singida

The Chairperson of Mama Lishe Tanzania, Havijawa Omary, went down on her knees before leaders of entrepreneurs in Singida Region, pleading with them to speak positively about President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the presidential candidate of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), to ensure her resounding victory in the upcoming general election scheduled for October this year.

Speaking yesterday at an entrepreneurship forum held at the Regional Commissioner’s office in Singida—which brought together petty traders, motorcycle taxi operators, mama lishe and baba lishe, fishermen, hairdressers, and masonry apprentices—Omary said President Dr. Samia has implemented remarkable initiatives for entrepreneurs, making it crucial to support her.

“I kneel before you all today, asking that you speak well of Mama Samia so that she may win overwhelmingly in this election. The President has done so much for us, and that is why we gather in every region for such forums—to highlight her achievements, especially those that benefit our group of entrepreneurs, including the important sector of mama lishe,” she said.

Omary noted that mama lishe and other entrepreneurs have been among the major beneficiaries of government loans issued through NMB Bank and the 10% funds disbursed by District Councils to support women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

“We cannot encourage mama lishe to use clean energy without seeing results. We are the first beneficiaries of the loans provided by the President. As the national chairperson of mama lishe, I can testify that I personally benefited from these loans offered through the Tanzania Women’s Development Bank,” she explained.

She added that President Dr. Samia has already pledged to set aside TZS 200 billion for small-scale entrepreneurs to access loans, enabling them to improve their businesses and fight poverty.

Omary emphasized that in the past, mama lishe were denied loans due to the nature of their businesses, but under President Samia’s leadership, they now access loans ranging from TZS 100,000 to 4 million.

“We used to be denied loans, but today our situation is much better. Why should we remain silent about the good things the President has done, especially for us mama lishe?” she remarked.

She further urged small-scale entrepreneurs to actively register for entrepreneurship identification cards so they can benefit from loans provided through NMB Bank.

“Mama lishe used to complain a lot, but thanks to our President, we are now smart—we can access loans through NMB Bank. Today, we proudly say that even those who were once struggling can now travel by bus and even by plane. This is all thanks to the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups. Now, all entrepreneurs are speaking the same language,” she said.

Omary also expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Community Development, led by Minister Dr. Dorothy Gwajima, for the great work being done to elevate the dignity and recognition of entrepreneurs across the country.

END