Dodoma, Tanzania: Stanbic Bank Tanzania, through the Stanbic Biashara Incubator, in partnership with GIZ, and Said Salim Bakhresa & Company Limited (SSB), has deepened its support for women and youth enterprise by taking the RISE Mama Lishe programme to Dodoma, where 320 food entrepreneurs are receiving from SIDO financial literacy, business training and energy efficient stoves to help them lower costs, improve safety and build more sustainable businesses.
The Dodoma engagement marks the continuation of a national programme first launched in Dar es Salaam in November 2025. Since launch, the programme has moved across key regions including Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Tanga, with Dodoma serving as a key point in expanding the initiative’s reach to entrepreneurs at the centre of Tanzania’s administrative capital.
Through the 2025 to 2026 cycle, Stanbic Bank and GIZ are empowering 2,000 women and youth entrepreneurs with business knowledge, financial literacy, clean cooking awareness and practical tools that respond to the daily realities of food vending businesses. In Dodoma, 300 entrepreneurs attending the session will each receive an energy efficient stove as part of the programme’s clean cooking support.
For many Mama Lishe and Baba Lishe, a safer stove is more than a cooking tool. It means lower fuel costs, reduced smoke exposure, safer working conditions and more room to focus on customers, quality and growth. The clean cooking component also supports Tanzania’s national clean cooking target for 2032 by encouraging the adoption of improved cooking solutions and reducing dependence on traditional charcoal and firewood use.
The RISE Mama Lishe programme builds on Stanbic Bank’s wider investment in small enterprise development. Over the past three years, the bank has empowered more than 3,000 (mamalishe) entrepreneurs through training, mentorship, financial literacy and practical business support aimed at helping informal and small businesses become more structured, resilient and ready for growth. This support reflects Stanbic Bank’s 30-year journey of growing with Tanzanians by investing in people, communities and enterprises that contribute to everyday economic progress.
“Mama Lishe and Baba Lishe are not small players in our economy. They feed communities, support families, create daily income and keep local markets active. Through RISE Mama Lishe, we are helping them move from survival-based operations to stronger, safer and more structured businesses,” said Kai Mollel, Head of Stanbic Biashara Incubator.
Mollel said the Dodoma session reflects Stanbic Bank’s belief that inclusive growth must reach the entrepreneurs who keep local economies active every day.
“An energy efficient stove is more than a cooking tool. For a food entrepreneur, it means lower fuel costs, less smoke, safer working conditions and a better foundation for growth. This is the kind of practical support that changes how small businesses operate every day. As we mark more than 30 years of growing with Tanzanians, our focus remains on creating practical solutions that help people build better livelihoods and stronger businesses,” she said.
Lisa Zschunke, Programme Manager at GIZ, said the partnership is designed to support practical change for food entrepreneurs while contributing to Tanzania’s clean cooking agenda.
“RISE Mama Lishe shows how enterprise development and clean cooking can work together to improve livelihoods. By equipping women and youth food entrepreneurs with business skills and energy efficient stoves, we are supporting safer working conditions, better cost management and more resilient small businesses. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to practical solutions that support communities and contribute to Tanzania’s clean cooking target for 2032,” said Zschunke.
The training sessions under RISE Mama Lishe focus on entrepreneurship mindset, business planning, pricing, financial management, customer care, food hygiene, digital business skills and clean cooking awareness. The approach gives entrepreneurs practical knowledge they can apply directly in their businesses, while the stove distribution strengthens safety and efficiency within their day-to-day operations.
Through the Stanbic Biashara Incubator, Stanbic Bank continues to provide a platform that helps entrepreneurs build stronger businesses, access knowledge, improve business discipline and prepare for long-term growth. The programme also reflects the bank’s broader role in supporting women and youth-led enterprise, household income growth, job creation and more inclusive participation in Tanzania’s economy through financial inclusion.
This also reflects Stanbic Bank’s belief that Tanzania is our home, and we drive her growth by supporting the people, businesses and communities that keep the country moving every day. Through RISE Mama Lishe, this commitment is translated into practical action by investing in enterprise development, cleaner cooking adoption and more inclusive economic participation.
As RISE Mama Lishe reaches Dodoma, Stanbic Bank, SSB and GIZ reaffirm their shared commitment to building stronger local businesses, supporting clean cooking adoption and creating practical, lasting value for women and youth entrepreneurs across Tanzania.
