2.1 Regional Overview - Africa

Chapter One : Review Context

1.1 Project Background

FAWE is a membership-based Pan-African non-governmental organization, led by African women working for equality and equity in education across the continent. FAWE works in 33 countries in Africa promoting gender equity and equality in education by fostering positive policies, practices and attitudes towards girls’ education. FAWE’s work influences government policies, builds public awareness, demonstrates best educational practice through effective models and encourages the adoption of these models by governments and education institutions. FAWE also advocates for the participation of women in decision making positions in the community and elimination of gender discrimination.

In partnership with The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), FAWE is implementing the Women in Political Participation (WPP) project for a period of 3 years. The project aims to increase the political participation and representation of women in Africa in line with the Maputo Protocol of 2003, various associated sub-regional protocols and standards, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The project will be implemented in 8 African countries namely Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eswatini, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. The project comes against the backdrop of continued underrepresentation of women in political spaces and decision making in both political and public spheres irrespective of the numerous efforts to enhance

FAWE staff pose with Kenyan women leaders and aspiring leaders at the launch of the Intergenerational Mentorship Programme on March 8th 2021. Photo credit: FAWE RS

participation of women in politics in most African countries. This therefore occasions the need to change the narrative, raise and sustain the awareness in order to change prevailing attitudes, examine obstacles to and proposals for reform and change, empower identified champions of change, and share comparative evidence that could propel action. The situational analysis therefore identifies obstacles faced by women to allow for a clear and precise identification of types of challenges presented by different stakeholders in the quest for increased participation in different geographical and political contexts in Kenya and Tanzania. The study outputs such as analysis/discussions, conclusions and recommendations will assist WPP team with better targeting of project interventions.

1.2 Purpose, Objectives, and Questions 2

1.3 Review Audience and Stakeholders across Tanzania

The overall objective of this assignment was to conduct a situational analysis on women political participation in Tanzania and develop country specific papers to inform implementation of the WPP project. Specifically:

i. Research and situational analyses to highlight contemporary issues of relevance to women’s political participation in Africa; ii. Knowledge generated from the research and analyses to provide various categories of women actors with fresh evidence and perspectives for advancing the cause of participation in decision-making; iii. Women’s Political Participation and the strategic use of research evidence to add to efforts at building a fairer society that places prime value on their role and contribution

To respond to the above research objectives, the team sought to answer the following questions: i. What are some of the key contemporary issues affecting and are relevant to women’s political participation in Tanzania? ii. What available/new data & evidence can we generate to guide/inform women political participation? iii. How can strategic use of data and evidence for decision making improve women’s role and place in politics? iv. Are there any new/fresh perspectives we can provide to various categories of women actors for advancing the cause of participation in decision-making in

Tanzania? v. How can improved women’s political participation support building of a fairer society that places prime value on women’s role and contribution? vi. How can policy briefs and media articles on the status of women in political participation in Tanzania be used for advocacy purposes?

The following are the review audience and stakeholders:

Parliament: Parliament as a law making body is a key citadel in originating and maintaining the legal regime upon which women participation in politics is anchored. It is therefore a key stakeholder in ensuring gender parity in politics and public space in Tanzania. We therefore targeted include selected Tanzania female parliamentarians.

Independent Institutions: Independent institutions are key bodies in promoting and protecting the rights of women participation in politics . In this category, only one such institution was interviewed i.e. Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance (CHRAGG) in Tanzania;

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs): CSOs particularly women’s rights organizations, have consistently played a pivotal role in expanding the space for women in politics and representation. The following organisations were contacted and responded to the key informant interview schedule (KII Asante Africa Foundation, East Africa Community Secretariat and Women Pastoral Council.

Women Political Activists: Selected Women Political Leaders (National, County and Sub County); Women Political Leaders (Regions, Districts and Divisions) were contacted. The opinion of the following categories of leadership were sought; Party leaders, Female Members of Parliaments & County Assemblies; and Regional leadership in Tanzania. FAWE Regional Secretariat: FAWE RS is working closely with its national chapter in Tanzania in the implementation of the project. The two chapters also served as contacts for country specific coordination and support during the study. The program also works with other national chapters and partners in Botswana, DRC, Zimbabwe, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Eswatini. FAWE has had an unrivalled history at the forefront of campaigns on the political, socio-economic and cultural rights of women in Africa. The consultants therefore sought the views of the regional leadership, WPP team and FAWE coordinators in Tanzania.

1.4 Review Methodology

Working closely with WPP team at FAWE, the review team from CRI used a mixed methods approach combining different techniques for both secondary and primary data collection. Critical analysis of secondary sources of information comprising a comprehensive review of relevant literature and project documents was done to provide a rich contextual background of the project. Methods for primary data entailed interviews with different stakeholders including Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). The interviews were conducted through use of interview schedules, FGD guides or checklist of issues crafted to ensure collection of relevant information.

Purposive sampling was used to identify the appropriate respondents in Tanzania, particularly in getting data from the target groups. KIIs and FGDs were conducted with persons considered strategic in terms of their participation in and appreciation of the WPP project. As such, the KIIs targeted both internal and external stakeholders. The following data collection methods were employed in this assessment;

The table below contains a complete breakdown of the review techniques we used for this exercise. It is important to note that the review adopted a purely qualitative approach.

1.4.1 Review Techniques or Data Collection Methods

Table I: Review Techniques

Technique/Step

1. Literature review & document analysis

Focus Tools/means

Assessed state/ level of women participation in politics in Tanzania, successes, constraints, threats and opportunities for strengthening women participation. Desk review informed by a document analysis guide. Note: The relevant project documents e.g. project proposal and related reports were analysed for insights & perspectives.

2. Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) Conducted targeted interviews with selected stakeholders for key informant interviews at county/ district, sub-national and national levels. Zoom, Skype or phone calls. Persons who were considered knowledgeable about women’s rights were interviewed for insights on these areas.

3. Online reviews Analysis of previous attempts or efforts in promoting women participation in politics. Links, websites, podcasts, blogs and online reports.