Tanzanian PM calls for digital shift as women’s representation in SACCOS rises
DAR ES SALAAM, October 18, 2026 — Tanzanian Prime Minister Dr Mwigulu Nchemba has urged African Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations [SACCOs] to accelerate digital transformation and increase women’s participation in leadership, saying both are critical to building inclusive, trusted and sustainable financial institutions.
Speaking at the official opening of the 26th edition of the Savings and Credit Co-operatives Association [SACCA] Congress in Dar es Salaam, Nchemba said digital technology was essential to expanding access to financial services, improving transparency and reaching underserved communities.
He said Tanzania was making progress in digital financial services, with 72 per cent of adults using mobile money, according to the 2023 financial inclusion report cited in his address.
Nchemba said SACCOS had established 231 mobile money agency arrangements, while five societies offered mobile applications.
He added that services delivered through mobile applications and Unstructured Supplementary Service Data [USSD] platforms had attracted nearly 119,000 users and processed 3.5 million transactions.
However, he noted that only slightly more than a quarter of SACCOS in Tanzania had core banking systems, highlighting the need for greater investment in digital infrastructure.
The Prime Minister urged cooperative institutions to adopt technology that would improve operational efficiency and make financial services more accessible to farmers, entrepreneurs, women and young people.
He cautioned, however, that digitalisation must be accompanied by stronger cybersecurity measures, data protection and consumer confidence to safeguard members’ savings and personal information.
“The cooperative movement of the future must be both digital and trusted, delivering opportunities securely to every African and every member,” he said.
On women’s participation, Nchemba said their representation in Tanzania’s SACCOS had risen from 29.7 per cent to 32.5 per cent.
He said the increase reflected women’s growing role in financial cooperatives but called for further efforts to promote inclusive leadership and ensure they participated meaningfully in decision-making.
Nchemba also stressed the importance of transparency and accountability in financial management, saying these were essential to protecting members’ interests and ensuring that cooperative resources were used for their intended purposes.
He called for stronger governance, professional management and effective supervision of SACCOS, warning that non-performing loans stood at 8.1 per cent, above the desired threshold of five per cent.
He urged cooperative institutions to address the challenge openly and strengthen their capacity to protect members’ savings and maintain public confidence.
The Prime Minister also called for greater participation by young people in the sector, noting that SACCOS membership among people below the age of 36 had grown by 22 per cent in one year to account for 37 per cent of total membership.
However, he said young people occupied only 11 per cent of board positions, pointing to a significant gap between their participation as members and their representation in leadership.
Nchemba urged cooperative leaders to combine digital innovation with sound governance and inclusive leadership to ensure that financial cooperatives remained responsive to the changing needs of their members.
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