Contribution of Microfinance on Women’s Economic Empowerment: A Case Study of Solidarity Loans at Akiba Commercial Bank PLC, Buguruni Branch

Temba, Christine C. (2016) Contribution of Microfinance on Women’s Economic Empowerment: A Case Study of Solidarity Loans at Akiba Commercial Bank PLC, Buguruni Branch. Masters thesis, The Open University of Tanzania.

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Abstract

The research aimed at examining the factors that have impact upon women economic empowerment. The study examined the extent to which microfinance has influenced women‘s economic empowerment. The study was conducted at Akiba Commercial Bank Plc, Buguruni Branch. Although it has been difficult to ascertain why in similar situations some entrepreneurs fail while others succeed, it is through that the focus on ―entrepreneurial competencies‖ offers a practical means of addressing the phenomenon. Tanzanian women are still faced with lack of appropriate business knowledge and skills, limited access to finance, dependency on poor and obsolete technology. There have been contentious academic debates on the validity of Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs) impacting women‘s empowerment positively. Some empirical findings have revealed that micro-finance services act as a panacea toward empowering women. However, there has been sharp criticism from some economic experts on the notion that micro-finance can aid women‘s empowerment. Data was analyzed quantitatively, and the results show a significant improvement in the household well-being, income, and women‘s empowerment, as a result of participating in micro-finance programs. However, all the respondents bemoaned the high interest rates being charged by the MFIs, as a result of this, the paper recommends that the regulatory authority should monitor the conduct of most of the MFIs against high interest rate.

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