Samia Suluhu Hassan
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Samia Suluhu Hassan ( ; born 27 January 1960) is a Tanzanian politician who serves as the sixth and current
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
of
Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
since 19 March 2021. She is the first woman to serve in the position and previously served as vice-president of Tanzania from 2015 to 2021, from which she ascended to the presidency following the death of her predecessor, John Magufuli. A native of
Zanzibar Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. ...
, Suluhu served as a minister in the semi-autonomous region from 2000 to 2010. She then served as the Member of Parliament for the Makunduchi constituency from 2010 to 2015 and was the
Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...
in the Vice-President's Office for Union Affairs from 2010 to 2015. In 2014, she was elected as the vice-chairperson of the
Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
tasked with the drafting of the country's new constitution. Suluhu became Tanzania's first female vice-president following the 2015 general election, after being elected on the
Chama Cha Mapinduzi The Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM, ) is the dominant, ruling party in Tanzania and the second longest-ruling party in the history of Africa, only after the True Whig Party of Liberia. It was formed in 1977, following the merger of the Tanganyika A ...
ticket with Magufuli. Suluhu and Magufuli were re-elected to a second term in 2020. As president, Suluhu has implemented democratic reforms, reversing the policies of her predecessor that were implemented to repress political opposition. She also implemented policies to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Tanzania, which Magufuli had denied was a serious issue. Other focuses of her presidency have included the expansion of infrastructure and the globalisation of the Tanzanian economy through investors and tourism.


Early life and education

Suluhu was born in the
Sultanate of Zanzibar The Sultanate of Zanzibar (, ), also known as the Zanzibar Sultanate, was an East African Muslim state controlled by the Sultan of Zanzibar, in place between 1856 and 1964. The Sultanate's territories varied over time, and after a period of de ...
on 27 January 1960 to a teacher and his wife. Four years later, Zanzibar unified with Tanganyika to form the nation of Tanzania. She completed her secondary education in 1977, and she began working as an office clerk. She married agriculturalist Hafidh Ameir the following year. Together they had three sons and one daughter. Their daughter Wanu Hafidh Ameir (born 1982), the couple's second child, went on to become a member of the Zanzibar House of Representatives. Suluhu pursued a number of short courses on a part-time basis. In 1986, she graduated from the Institute of Development Management (present-day
Mzumbe University Mzumbe University (MU; ) is a public university in Mzumbe, Tanzania, near Morogoro. It was established in 2001. Academic units Below are the academic units and their acronyms in brackets respectively; # School of Business (SoB) # School of Ad ...
) with an advanced diploma in
public administration Public administration, or public policy and administration refers to "the management of public programs", or the "translation of politics into the reality that citizens see every day",Kettl, Donald and James Fessler. 2009. ''The Politics of the ...
. Between 1992 and 1994, she attended the
University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...
and earned a
postgraduate diploma fILE:Prédio Pós Graduação IMECC Unicamp.jpg, The State University of Campinas, as well as many Brazilian universities, offer Postgraduate courses in Brazil A postgraduate diploma (PgD, PgDip, PGDip, PG Dip., PGD, Dipl. PGD) is a postgraduat ...
in economics. She later obtained her MSc in Community Economic Development in 2015 via a joint programme between the Open University of Tanzania and
Southern New Hampshire University Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a private university between Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire, United States. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, along with ...
. Suluhu became a development officer with the regional
Zanzibar Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. ...
government in 1988. She became a project manager at the
World Food Programme The World Food Programme (WFP) is an international organization within the United Nations that provides food assistance worldwide. It is the world's largest humanitarian organization and the leading provider of school meals. Founded in 1961 ...
. In the 1990s, she was put in charge of a body that regulates non-governmental organisations in Zanzibar.


Political career

In 2000, Suluhu became a special seat member of the
Zanzibar House of Representatives The Zanzibar House of Representatives () is the unicameral, subnational legislature of the autonomous islands of Zanzibar in Tanzania. History The current legislature was formed in 1980. Prior to this, the Revolutionary Council held both the ...
with the
Chama Cha Mapinduzi The Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM, ) is the dominant, ruling party in Tanzania and the second longest-ruling party in the history of Africa, only after the True Whig Party of Liberia. It was formed in 1977, following the merger of the Tanganyika A ...
(CCM) party, where she was appointed Zanzibar's Minister for Youth Employment, Women and Children. While in this position, she ended the prohibition on new mothers returning to school. She was the only high-ranking woman minister in the cabinet and was treated less seriously by her male colleagues because she was a woman. She was re-elected in 2005 and was appointed as Minister for Tourism and Trade Investment. In 2010, Suluhu sought election to the
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
, standing in the parliamentary constituency of Makunduchi and winning by more than 80%. President
Jakaya Kikwete Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete (born 7 October 1950) is a Tanzanian politician who was the List of Presidents of Tanzania, fourth president of Tanzania, in office from 2005 to 2015. Prior to his election as president, he was the Ministry of Foreign Aff ...
appointed her as the Minister of State for Union Affairs. In 2014, she was elected as the Vice-Chairperson of the Constituent Assembly tasked with drafting the country's new constitution. Suluhu was the vice-presidential candidate for the CCM in the 2015 general election, along with presidential candidate John Magufuli. She was an unexpected choice, as several more prominent and influential politicians were passed on for the role. She was the first female running mate in the party's history. They won the election, and they were sworn in on 5 November 2015. Suluhu became the first female Vice-President of Tanzania. A dispute emerged between Magufuli and Suluhu in 2016 in which questions of her loyalty were raised, but Suluhu then made public statements in support of Magufuli. Magufuli and Suluhu were re-elected in the 2020 general election, though the victory was called into question after allegations of
electoral fraud Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud, or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share o ...
by independent observers.


President of Tanzania


Ascension and swearing in

On 17 March 2021, Suluhu announced that Magufuli had died after a long illness; Magufuli had not been seen in public since late February. She was sworn in on 19 March 2021 to serve the remainder of his second term. Opposition leaders had expressed concern about a possible vacuum when 18 March passed without Suluhu being sworn in. Out of public view, there was an effort by factions of the party to prevent her from becoming president, and she was the last of the senior government officials to be briefed on Magufuli's death. Immediately after being sworn in, Suluhu inspected troops at a military parade in her honour. In her first statement as president, she declared three weeks of mourning for Magufuli's death. Suluhu chose Minister of Finance Philip Mpango as her vice-president. To strengthen her position in the government, she dismissed Magufuli's closest allies, including Bashiru Ally and Palamagamba Kabudi. She also restored the positions of people who had been removed by Magufuli, such as January Makamba, Nape Nnauye, and Abdulrahman Kinana. Suluhu expanded her influence over the party by aligning with former president
Jakaya Kikwete Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete (born 7 October 1950) is a Tanzanian politician who was the List of Presidents of Tanzania, fourth president of Tanzania, in office from 2005 to 2015. Prior to his election as president, he was the Ministry of Foreign Aff ...
. Upon her swearing-in, Suluhu became Tanzania's first female president and the second Zanzibari to hold the post, after
Ali Hassan Mwinyi Ali Hassan Mwinyi (8 May 1925 – 29 February 2024) was a Tanzanian politician who served as the second president of the United Republic of Tanzania from 1985 to 1995. Previous posts included Minister for Home Affairs and Vice President. He a ...
. She became one of only two serving female heads of state in Africa at the time she was sworn in, alongside Ethiopia's
Sahle-Work Zewde Sahle-Work Zewde (; born 21 February 1950) is an Ethiopians, Ethiopian diplomat who served as president of Ethiopia from 2018 to 2024, the List of elected and appointed female heads of state and government, first woman to hold the office. She w ...
, who held only a ceremonial role. She was the only female head of government in Africa after she was sworn in.


Presidential administration

The
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
was ongoing when Suluhu became president. She reversed the denialist position on the COVID-19 pandemic in Tanzania held by Magufuli, and she entered Tanzania into the
COVAX COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, abbreviated as COVAX, is a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines directed by the GAVI vaccine alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the World He ...
program to begin distribution of
COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Knowledge about the structure and fun ...
s in July 2021. Mandatory 14-day quarantines for travellers entering Tanzania from countries with cases of new
variants of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are viruses that, while similar to the original, have genetic changes that are of enough significance to lead virologists to label them separately. SARS-CoV-2 is the v ...
were imposed. Suluhu permitted embassies and other international organisations to import vaccines into the country to vaccinate foreign nationals for their Tanzanian day-to-day work, aided by the Ministry of Health. Since becoming president, Suluhu has pledged to see that the flagship development projects that were initiated by Magufuli are completed on time. She has also approved new development projects. Projects that she prioritised include establishing a railway line, building a hydropower plant, and making electricity and clean water available in rural Tanzania. Suluhu filmed a movie, ''The Royal Tour'', with journalist and filmmaker
Peter Greenberg Peter S. Greenberg (born January 20, 1950) is an American journalist. He is the CBS News Travel Editor, reporting regularly on '' The Early Show'', its replacement '' CBS This Morning'', and the '' CBS Evening News''. He may be best known as ...
in early 2021 with the intention of promoting tourism and getting investors interested in Tanzania. Suluhu became the fifth African woman to address the
United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...
in September 2021. She reorganised her presidential cabinet in January 2022 to ensure that it was populated by loyalists, while she gradually removed those who had served under Magufuli. Suluhu adopted a more internationalist approach rather than the isolationism of her predecessor, and she has sought to entice both investors and tourists. In 2022, she attended the
Expo 2020 Expo 2020 () was a World Expo hosted in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Originally scheduled for 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Ara ...
to promote Tanzanian products and opportunities which led her to sign a business partnership deal with
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
. Suluhu took a neutral stance on the
Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
, saying that they should negotiate peace and that "we don't know why they are fighting". In 2022, Suluhu was named among the top 100 most influential people in the world by American magazine ''Time''. By 2024, she began appealing to the supporters of her predecessor by appointing Magufuli loyalists like Doto Biteko and Paul Makonda to government positions. She is expected to run for re-election in the 2025 general election.


Style of governance

Writers for ''France 24'', ''The New York Times'', and ''New Internationalist'' have all described Suluhu as "soft-spoken". Suluhu herself has referenced her quiet demeanour. ''Al-Jazeera'' correspondent Catherine Wambua-Soi described a collaborative nature in Suluhu's approach to government, saying that she consults her advisors instead of making unilateral decisions. ''BBC News'' cited a comparison to Magufili's predecessor, Jakaya Kikwete, who similarly engaged in diplomacy with the opposition instead of repression. Suluhu is sometimes known as Mama Samia, a name meant to indicate reverence. Suluhu has emphasised her femininity as part of her presidency, describing it as a factor in her attempts to create a culture of political unity. When she became president, Suluhu was seen by the public and outside observers as a more democratically-inclined alternative to Magufuli, who had developed a reputation as an authoritarian. After taking office, Suluhu took measures to increase
freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...
and
freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic Media (communication), media, especially publication, published materials, shoul ...
to reverse Magufuli's policies and to improve Tanzania's global image. These included releasing political prisoners, meeting with opposition leaders, and reopening newspapers that were shut down for criticising the government. She also lifted a ban on political rallies in 2023, which her predecessor had implemented to stifle the opposition. Still, her tenure has been increasingly undemocratic: oppositions leaders and activists have been arrested under her tenure and at least one has been found dead; protest have erupted against the alleged disappearing and killings of government critics by the security forces, leading to more arrests. Though she has initiated several democratic reforms, there is no agreement as to how much can be attributed to her policies, and she has faced criticism for not challenging many authoritarian laws and practices. Suluhu chose not to seek widely demanded amendments to the constitution when she took office, citing the poor state of the economy. Following the release of Freeman Mbowe and his immediate conversation with Suluhu, his first appearance days later was at the
International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive righ ...
event in Iringa in 2022. This caused critics to accuse Suluhu of releasing Mbowe on condition of support for Western
feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
policies. Suluhu's meetings and reconciliation with opposition leaders have conversely received criticism within her own party.


Reelection campaign

In January 2025, CCM nominated Suluhu as its presidential candidate for the 2025 Tanzanian general election in October.


Honours, awards and recognition


Honours


Awards

* 2022: Africa Road Builders – Babacar Ndiaye Trophy *2022:
CARE International CARE (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere, formerly Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe) is a major international humanitarian agency delivering emergency relief and long-term international development projects. Founded i ...
– CARE Impact Award for Women's Inspirational Leadership * 2023: Key to the City of
Lilongwe Lilongwe (, ,) is the capital and largest city of Malawi. It has a population of 989,318 as of the 2018 Census, up from a population of 674,448 in 2008. In 2020, that figure was 1,122,000. The city is located in the central region of Malawi, i ...
* 2023: Ranked in Forbes list of " World's 100 most powerful women".


Honorary academic awards


Filmography


References


External links


Official website
(archived)
Professional Newsletter Production by Samia Suluhu et al.
(PDF) 2005, OUT/NSHU.
Army supports Suluhu's military diplomacy drive
Africa Intelligence, March 17, 2023 (requires free registration) , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Suluhu, Samia 1960 births Living people 21st-century Tanzanian women politicians Alumni of the University of Manchester Chama Cha Mapinduzi MPs Government ministers of Tanzania Lumumba Secondary School alumni Mzumbe University alumni Open University of Tanzania alumni Presidents of Tanzania Southern New Hampshire University alumni Tanzanian MPs 2010–2015 Tanzanian Muslims Vice-presidents of Tanzania Women government ministers of Tanzania Women presidents in Africa Women vice presidents in Africa Zanzibari politicians Female heads of government Muslim socialists 21st-century Tanzanian politicians 21st-century Muslims First women presidents