Page 14 - 41st Summit Brochure

PROFILE NEW LEADERS

H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan

President of the United Republic of Tanzania

HER EXCELLENCYSamia Suluhu Hassan is the sixth President of the United Republic of Tanzania, and Chairperson
of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party. She was sworn-in as President of the United Republic of Tanzania on 19
March 2021 following the untimely death of His Excellency, President Dr. John Pombe Joseph Magufuli. She became
the first woman to be President of Tanzania, and the first in East Africa. Prior to her appointment, she was Vice President
of the United Republic of Tanzania. She was born on 27 January 1960 in Kizimkazi Village, Southern Distict of Zanzibar.
President Hassan is married to Hafidh Ameir and has four children.
Education
H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan attended school in the Zanzibar islands of Unguja and Pemba, completing her secondary
education at Advanced Level. She went on to attain a Diploma/Certificate in Statistics at the Zanzibar Institute of Financial
Administration, and joined the Institute of Development Manangement (now Mzumbe University) for advanced studies in Public
Administration. She pursued various training at the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI) in Arusha, the
National Institute of Public Administration in Lahore, Pakistan, and the Institute of Management of Leaders in Hyderabad, India
for a Certificate in Management, and Leadership Courses. She studied for a Postgraduate Diploma in Economics at Manchester
University in UK; and she earned a Masters Degree in Community Economic Development through a joint programme between
the Open University of Tanzania and the Southern New Hampshire University, USA. Prior to entering politics, she worked as a
Manpower Planning Officer at the Ministry of Planning and Development from 1984 to 1988; and with the World Food Programme
as a Manager for Dairy and Irrigation Projects in Zanzibar from 1988 to 1997.

Political Career
President Hassan has a strong track record in leadership and politics, and has served in both the Union Government and in the
Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, as well as in the CCM party. She entered politics as a member of the CCM on 10 June
12 1987, and ventured into elective politics in 2000 when she was elected as a member of the Zanzibar House of Representatives, for
Special Seats. This led to her appointment as Minister of Labour, Youth Employment, Women and Children Development in
Zanzibar and the only high-ranking woman Minister in the Cabinet until 2005. Her achievements include the introduction of a
programme that allowed girls who dropped out of school due to pregnancy, to have an alternative education. She was re-elected
in 2005 and appointed as Minister for Tourism, Trade and Investment until 2010.
In 2010, she contested for Makunduchi constituency and became a Member of Parliament of the United Republic of Tanzania,
which led to her appointment by then President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete as Minister of State in the Vice President’s Office dealing
with Union Matters. In this capacity, she also served as the Deputy Chairperson of the National Constitutional Assembly in 2014,
which was formed by the Fourth Phase Government for the purpose of drafting proposals for a new Constitution. She has served
as a Member of the National Executive Committee and Central Committee of the CCM party since 2007.
She has held various leadership portfolios including as a Member of the Parole Committee of Zanzibar (2001-2010);
Matron for the Association of People Living with HIV--Zanzibar (1997-2000); Member of the Board for Equal Opportunity
for All Trust Fund (1996-2000); Member of the Tanzania Rain Water Harvesting Committee (1995-2000); Member of Executive
Committee of the Association of NGOs Zanzibar (1995-2000) and Executive Director of the Association (1998-2000); Member
of the Zanzibar Marking 21st Century Committee (1999); Member of the Lions Club Zanzibar (1991-1998); Member of the
Zanzibar Education Policy Formulation Committee (1996); and a Founding Member of the Catalyst Organization for Women
Progress in Zanzibar (1991-1994).

Gender Campaigner
President Hassan has a long record of promoting gender empowernment, equality and equity. In 2016, she was appointed by the
then United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon to be a Member of the UN High Level Panel on Women’s Economic
Empowerment in charge of the East and Southern regions of Africa. She tabled 27 commitments to the Panel for which the
Tanzanian Government allocated steps to be implemented for a sustainable approach to the full economic empowerment of women.
Other initiatives included: Overseeing the creation and set up of women economic platforms countrywide that linked women’s
Small and Medium Enterprises to cross-border markets, soft loans and entrepreneurial skills; and liaison with the Ministry of
Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and the Children in preparing and launching the campaign to increase
accountability in reducing maternal and new-born deaths, locally known as Jiongeze tuwavushe Salama. She contributed to the
Handbook for Gender-inclusive Elections in Commonwealth Africa: Achieving 50-50 by 2030, prepared by Commonwealth Secretariat.