Airtel Money with I&M Bank who are committed to inclusive finance and sustainable development, together they have launched a women program dubbed “Women Financial Literacy & Inclusion Program”. The Women Financial Literacy & Inclusion Program aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs in the country with financial education and other essential tools to grow their businesses.
The Women Financial Literacy& inclusion Program is a key component of I&M Bank Tanzania’s broader Sustainability Strategy, which is anchored on three pillars: financial inclusion, financial literacy, and environmental responsibility. The strategy aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5: Gender Equality and SDG 13: Climate Action.
Kamilisha is a co-developed service between Airtel Money and I&M Bank that provides customers with mobile overdraft access, enabling them to complete essential transactions — such as sending money or paying bills — even when their Airtel Money wallets have insufficient funds.
The inaugural of the one-day training session, held in Dar es Salaam, brought together more than 50 women for interactive learning on financial management, digital finance, and sustainable business practices. The Women Financial Literacy& Inclusion Program is designed not only to impart technical knowledge but also to link economic empowerment with inclusive, climate-resilient development.
Speaking during the opening of the inaugural training and launch of the Women Financial Literacy& inclusion Program, Airtel Tanzania Managing Director, Charles Kamoto, emphasized the company’s commitment to capacity building.
“Airtel Money is widely used; this is why, we focus on capacity building to close what we call the ‘usability gap’. We want to ensure our customers, especially women have the confidence and skills to use digital financial services effectively.”
He highlighted that over 65% of Tanzania’s adult population faces limited access to financial services, with women disproportionately affected. “Through Women Financial Literacy& Inclusion Program, we are helping bridge financial literacy gap and supporting long-term financial resilience. With smartphone penetration among Tanzanian women still below 30%, our The Women Financial Literacy & Inclusion Program included hands-on demonstrations using mobile financial applications to build confidence among first-time users,” he added.
“This initiative is a reflection of our purpose-driven approach to banking,” said Zahid Mustafa, CEO & MD, I&M Bank Tanzania. “We are proud to lead this program and to have Airtel Tanzania as our strategic partner. Together, we are creating a platform that not only supports financial inclusion and literacy for women but also contributes to expanding their access to financial services in Tanzania.
Today we begin this journey by rolling out a whole day full sponsored financial literacy training for 60 women here in Dar Es Salaam. The training curriculum has been developed in partnership with Grant Thornton and will continue to be enhanced as we receive feedback from these women’’
Despite growth in digital finance, many women-led SMEs in Tanzania remain underserved due to limited access to formal financial systems and education. Women Financial Literacy& Inclusion Program directly addresses those gaps by equipping women with practical skills and greater confidence to participate in the financial ecosystem.
“Since launch, Kamilisha services has already disbursed over Tzs 392Bn, with 46% of these loans going to women. To date, over 5 million Tanzanians have joined the formal financial system through this product,” Mr. Mustafa added
As part of the Women Financial Literacy& Inclusion Program, I&M Bank has pledged to plant one tree for every 100 women it lends to, targeting 8,000 trees per year. This environmental effort is being implemented in partnership with the Africa Transformation Initiative (ATI), which will supply, track, and report on the trees planted across Tanzania over the next three years.
