The Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF), in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics, the University of Dar es Salaam and UN Women Tanzania, has launched a national assessment to identify barriers to women’s participation in security and peace operations

The initiative is being implemented under the Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peace Operations (MOWIP) framework and was officially inaugurated on Monday with the opening of the MOWIP Core Training in Dar es Salaam.

Speaking at the launch of the five-day training for research and steering committees, Brigadier General Agatha Katua, Commandant of the Medical College of Sciences, emphasized that the assessment is designed to trigger systemic change.

"Women’s participation in peace operations must be meaningful and impactful, not symbolic," she said.

 "Women must participate in a way that influences decisions and delivers results on the ground,” she added

She said that the assessment is expected to generate data-driven insights that will inform future policy reforms and institutional shifts within Tanzania’s security apparatus.

To ensure the findings are both credible and culturally relevant, the TPDF has partnered with UN Women Tanzania, with funding from the Elsie Initiative Fund.

TPDF also collaborates with National Bureau of Statistics (NBS): Leading quantitative data collection and analysis, University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM): Providing academic rigor and qualitative assessment expertise and DCAF (Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance): Providing technical methodology and global best practices.

Brigadier General George Itangare, Commandant of the  Peacekeeping Training Centre (TPTC), noted in a statement read by Colonel Deogratias Munishi that the project will follow a strict five-stage process: data collection, analysis, validation, monitoring, and reporting.

He said the ongoing five-day training in January 2026 forms part of the preparation phase and brings together members of the steering committee, research and assessment teams, communication teams and support staff from the Peacekeeping Training Centre.

Katherine Gifford, UN Women Tanzania Country Representative, highlighted that the exercise will target structural, cultural, and policy-related hurdles

The assessment is slated to last approximately nine months, with a final report expected by the end of 2026.

 By undertaking this study, Tanzania joins a group of more than 20 troop- and police-contributing countries using the MOWIP tool to modernize their security sectors.

From an international perspective, DCAF Senior Manager,Geneva Centre for security  sector reforms(DCAF)   Lilia Inca said Tanzania will join more than 20 troop- and police-contributing countries that have completed the MOWIP barrier assessment, a globally recognised tool for identifying obstacles to women’s participation in peacekeeping.

 UN Women Tanzania Country Representative  Katherine Gifford said the assessment will guide concrete actions to address structural, cultural and policy-related barriers faced by women in security forces.

She said the exercise will take about nine months, with the final report expected by the end of 2026.

NBS Project Manager Emilian Karugendo assured stakeholders that the bureau would leverage its statistical expertise to deliver high-quality results on schedule.

 This initiative represents the culmination of a process that began in 2023, signaling Tanzania's growing commitment to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security.