Tanzania’s DSM Corridor Group Targets Gender Equality in the Logistics Industry

In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city and economic hub, DSM Corridor Group (DCG), a full-service transportation and logistics company, is addressing gender imbalance in this traditionally male-dominated industry. 

Prior to 2020, 100% of DCG's equipment operators were male. There was a lack of qualified female operators for equipment such as forklifts, reach stackers, and terminal trucks in the company, leaving a significant gender gap in the workforce.

Beneficiaries of DCG’s Women Empowerment and Technical Training Program.

To address this challenge, the company launched its Women Empowerment and Technical Training Program. The vision was to implement a training program to provide more sustainable employment opportunities for women in technical jobs. Through the training program, DCG was able to reduce the gender gap in the workforce and empower women to acquire skills that they may not have had access to before. 

“We have discovered that investing in initiatives that promote gender equality and inclusivity have various positive effects on both individuals and the organization” says Jesper Sorensen, CEO of DCG. “Some of these include a more diverse and innovative workplace, increase in employee morale and satisfaction, better decision-making processes, and a positive public image”. 

Jesper notes that the United Nation Global Compact’s Target Gender Equality program has been very instrumental in their commitment to gender equality. He says,

“Through facilitated performance analysis, capacity building workshops, peer-to-peer learning and multi-stakeholder dialogue at the country-level, the UN Global Compact’s Target Gender Equality supported DSM Corridor Group in setting ambitious corporate targets for women’s representation and ensuring equal pay and opportunities for work of equal value”.

Jesper Sorensen, CEO, DSM Corridor Group (DCG).

The beneficiaries of DCG’s training program are women who previously worked as sweepers and clerks. These women are acquiring knowledge and skills that they didn’t have before. Their salaries have also increased, as the salary scale of equipment operators is higher compared with that of cleaners or clerks. 

“As a former cleaner, I had few opportunities for personal growth. The DCG Technical Training program changed things, teaching me to operate machinery, including forklift equipment. The training was challenging but rewarding, giving me skills and confidence” says Nyitindwa Tamimu, a beneficiary of DSM Corridor Group’s (DCG) Women Empowerment and Technical Training Program.

“Now as a forklift operator in a warehouse, I earn more, I get more respect, and I use the skills I learned from DCG every day. This program has profoundly changed my life, proving the power of education and belief in the power of women. I strongly encourage women to take advantage of such opportunities, as DCG training is not just a program but a life-changing experience” she says.

Interestingly, the company is also benefiting in terms of the quality of services provided to customers. The management team has observed that female operators tend to be more careful than male operators, leading to a reduced number of safety incidents.

DCG is fostering a culture of inclusivity and diversity where gender biases are challenged, and opportunities are provided based on skills and merit rather than gender. Initially, there was some resistance within the company to the idea of women taking on technical roles due to societal, stereotype and cultural biases. To tackle this, the company implemented awareness campaigns with ongoing communication, education, and awareness-building initiatives to promote the value of gender diversity and its benefits to the organization.

Now, the hesitation of involving women in factory operations has disappeared, and the general staff mindset has shifted as they see women taking on these technical roles effectively and causing fewer incidents than their male counterparts. A total of eleven women operators have been trained and employed already.

With the success of phase one of the program, DSM Corridor Group is actively working to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 5 of Gender Equality and Goal 8 of Decent work and Economic Growth. The company aims to implement more inclusive business principles going forward with the goal to achieve a minimum gender balance of 50/50 in employment.

Based on the success of the women’s training program, DCG plans to continue providing support and training for more women. The company also plans to expand to other technical roles such as mechanics and engineers to achieve the initiative's objective of creating equal employment opportunities for women in technical roles.