By Business Insider Reporter
Stanbic Bank Tanzania has partnered with GIZ and Said Salim Bakhresa & Company Limited (SSB) to expand support for women and youth food vendors in Dodoma through the RISE Mama Lishe programme, an initiative aimed at strengthening small businesses while advancing clean cooking adoption.
Under the latest phase of the programme, 320 Mama Lishe and Baba Lishe entrepreneurs in Dodoma are receiving business training, financial literacy education and energy-efficient cooking stoves to help improve productivity, reduce operating costs and create safer working environments.
The initiative, which was first launched in Dar es Salaam in November 2025, forms part of broader efforts to empower informal entrepreneurs who play a vital role in supporting household incomes, urban food supply chains and local economic activity.
Since the 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.
Programme partners said the Dodoma rollout demonstrates increasing recognition of food vendors as important contributors to Tanzania’s economy, particularly in creating self-employment opportunities for women and youth.
Speaking during the Dodoma engagement, Head of Stanbic Biashara Incubator, Kai Mollel, said the programme is designed to help small food vendors transition from survival-oriented businesses into more sustainable and structured enterprises.
“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,” said Mollel.
She explained that the initiative goes beyond financial support by equipping entrepreneurs with practical tools and knowledge that can improve daily business operations and long-term resilience.
According to Mollel, the energy-efficient stoves distributed through the programme are expected to lower fuel costs, reduce smoke exposure and improve safety for vendors who spend long hours preparing food in demanding working conditions.
The clean cooking aspect of the initiative also aligns with Tanzania’s national target of increasing adoption of clean cooking technologies by 2032, as the country seeks to reduce dependence on charcoal and firewood while improving public health and environmental sustainability.
Programme Manager at GIZ, Lisa Zschunke, said the partnership reflects how enterprise development can be combined with environmental and social impact initiatives to create practical benefits for communities.
GIZ is Germany’s leading development agency, working globally to support sustainable economic growth, environmental protection and social development. The organization partners with governments, businesses and communities to implement programmes focused on areas such as renewable energy, entrepreneurship, climate resilience and vocational training.
“RISE Mama Lishe shows how enterprise development and clean cooking can work together to improve livelihoods,” she said, adding that the programme would help entrepreneurs improve cost management, workplace safety and business sustainability.
Partners involved in the initiative said the training sessions cover entrepreneurship mindset, customer care, food hygiene, pricing, financial management and digital business skills to ensure beneficiaries gain practical knowledge that can be directly applied in their businesses.
The programme also builds on Stanbic Bank’s wider investment in small enterprise development through the Stanbic Biashara Incubator, which has supported more than 3,000 Mama Lishe entrepreneurs over the past three years through mentorship, training and financial literacy programmes. As the RISE Mama Lishe programme expands across different regions, the partners say they remain committed to supporting women- and youth-led enterprises while promoting inclusive economic growth and cleaner cooking solutions across Tanzania.
