Strengthening Women’s Representation and Meaningful Participation in Decision-making Positions in Ngara District Council

Regional focus: Tanzania

Time: October-December 2022

This study is conducted with an Impact Research Grant – stipends for projects designed to facilitate solutions to a local government’a expressed needs. The projects build on Local Democracy Labs, where local governments discuss a current issue with expert researchers.

Summary

This project’s goal is to strengthen women’s representation and meaningful participation at the ward council in Ngara District. It aims to make women’s voices heard at the Ward Council levels through promoting gender-responsive norms and practices, strengthening capacities of women leaders and those who have interest to contest for leadership as ward Councillors.

This project aims to:

• identify and assess factors influencing women’s access to Ward Council elected and special seats positions;
• find socio-cultural and political related challenges that limit women’s participation at the Ward Council;
• assess and propose modalities for gender equality and empowerment at the Ward Council in Ngara District.

Using an exploratory research approach, qualitative methods will be employed to inform the creation of two practical interventions: a capacity-building training for prospective women Councillors and a stakeholder dissemination workshop.

Research team:

Lilian Mtasingwa, Institute of Development Studies, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Sophia Mgoba, Institute of Development Studies, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Julius Bukobero, Ngara Township Authority