Vol. 1 No. 1 (2021)

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Decolonising Business Praxis: An Analysis of Tanzanian Women’s Leadership in Indigenous Enterprise (2010–2024)

Anna Austin, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) Geraldine Cox, State University of Zanzibar (SUZA) Neema Mushi, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), Dar es Salaam Grace Mrema, State University of Zanzibar (SUZA)
Published: January 22, 2026

Abstract

This qualitative study examines how Tanzanian women entrepreneurs enact and lead indigenous business models, contributing to decolonisation discourse. It addresses a critical gap in understanding the praxis of these models, which are often marginalised in mainstream business scholarship. Employing a rigorous ethnographic methodology, the research was conducted between 2021 and 2024. It involved in-depth interviews and participatory observations with 32 women business leaders across four regions, operating in agri-business, handicrafts, and cultural tourism. Thematic analysis of the data reveals that these leaders consciously deploy indigenous knowledge systems, prioritise communal wellbeing over individual profit, and embed Ubuntu principles within their organisational structures. Their leadership actively decolonises business by centring relational accountability, circular resource use, and culturally-grounded decision-making, thereby subverting colonial legacies in conventional praxis. The findings demonstrate that these women are architects of a decolonised business landscape, offering viable, culturally resonant alternatives for sustainable economic development. This research contributes to African feminist and decolonial scholarship by providing an empirical, ground-up analysis of indigenous enterprise, with implications for policy and leadership programmes seeking to foster authentically African business paradigms.

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Anna Austin, Geraldine Cox, Neema Mushi, Grace Mrema (2026). Decolonising Business Praxis: An Analysis of Tanzanian Women’s Leadership in Indigenous Enterprise (2010–2024). African Journal of Women in Leadership and Governance, Vol. 1 No. 1 (2021), 28-39.
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Keywords

DecolonisationIndigenous entrepreneurshipWomen's leadershipTanzanian business modelsPostcolonial theory

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Vol. 1 No. 1 (2021)
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