Samia Suluhu Bio
After Tanzania’s previous president, John Magufuli, passed away on March 17, 2021, due to heart failure, Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in as the country’s new leader on March 19, 2021. On January 27, 1960, Hassan became the first woman to lead Tanzania after being born in the village of Makunduchi, Tanzania, which is situated on the island of Zanzibar.
She is the sixth president of Tanzania and the first woman to manage this nation. Her father was a teacher, and her mother was a homemaker when she was growing up. Hassan received an advanced certificate in public administration from the Institute of Development Management in the year 1986, following the completion of her secondary school in the year 1977 (now Mzumbe University).
In 1994, she attended the University of Manchester in England and received a post-graduate diploma in economics from that institution. Hassan was employed as an administrator for the Ministry of Planning and Development prior to beginning her career in politics. Prior to that, she worked for the United Nations World Food Program. 1978 was the year when Hassan tied the knot with Hafidh Ameir, an agriculturalist. They are parents to four children.
Hassan was first elected to Zanzibar’s House of Representatives in a one-off election in the year 2000. This marked the beginning of her career in politics. Hassan was subjected to discrimination from male members of parliament despite the fact that Tanzania’s constitution mandates that women make up at least 15 percent of the entire body in parliament.
During the following ten years, however, Hassan served not only as Minister of Gender and Children but also as Minister of Youth Employment and Tourism in the administration of President Amani Karume. She was the only woman in a high-ranking position in the cabinet at that time.
Hassan served as a member of parliament from 2010 until 2015, during which time she also held the position of Minister of State in the Vice President’s office under President Jakaya Kikwete. Hassan was given the responsibility of updating the country’s constitution when she was serving as Vice Chairperson of the Constituent Assembly.
Hassan is so dedicated to better comprehending and improving Tanzania’s economic policies that she earned a Master of Science degree in Community Economic Development in 2015 from the Open University of Tanzania and Southern New Hampshire University as part of a collaborative effort between the two educational institutions.
Hassan also made history during this same year when she became Tanzania’s first female vice president, serving under President Magufuli. In this capacity, Hassan served as the president’s representative at a number of important gatherings, such as the Twenty-First Summit of the East African Heads of State, which took place on February 27, 2021, and the Southern African Development Community Summit, which took place on November 7, 2019.
Tanzanians now view Hassan, who is affectionately referred to as “Mama Samia,” as the president who will reconcile the political conflicts that exist in their country. The totalitarian Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party has been in power since 1977 and presently enjoys an overwhelming majority in parliament.
Throughout this time, the CCM has suppressed several opposition parties. Hassan made headlines in 2017 while she was still serving as vice president after she made a controversial visit to opposition leader Tundu Lissu in a Dar es Salaam hospital after he survived an assassination attempt, which many believed was sanctioned by the CCM.
Samia Suluhu was named the first female running mate in the history of the ruling party (CCM) in July of 2015, when the late Dr. John Magufuli, the presidential nominee for the ruling party (CCM), announced that she would be running with him in the 2015 general election.
Samia Suluhu became the first female President of the United Republic of Tanzania after her party, CCM, was victorious in the election. In the 2020 election, CCM received a landslide victory, which allowed her to keep her position as Vice President.
Samia Suluhu was sworn in as President of Tanzania in March 2021. She took over after John Magufuli’s death.
Also read: Dr. Kwame Nkrumah Biography
