Women in politics are something that must always be celebrated given the dearth of representation in the field. Samia Suluhu Hassan’s example is one such account. Hassan is a Tanzanian politician. She has been serving as the 6th and the 1st female President of Tanzania since 2021. She belongs to the social-democrat ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi party.
She is, till date, the third female head of an East African community country. She initially served as a minister in a semi-autonomous region during President Karume’s reign. She was also a Member of Parliament representing the Makunduchi constituency from the years 2010-2015. In the same duration (2010-2015), she was the Minister of State in the Vice President’s Office for Union Affairs. In 2014, Hassan was elected as the vice-chairperson of the Constituent Assembly. Her task was to aid in drafting the country’s new constitution.
She married her husband HafidhAmeirin in 1978. The couple has 4 children together. Their second-born, daughter WanuHafidhAmeirin, is a special member of the Zanzibar House of Representatives.
The country’s vaccination campaign started on 28th July, 2021 with President Hassan taking the first dose and encouraging her countrymen to do the same.
What was Samia Suluhu Hassan’s early life like?
SamiaSuluhu Hassan was born on 27th January 1960 in an old town on Unguja Island, called Mankunduchi, in the Sultanate of Zanzibar. In 1977, Hassan completed her secondary education, and shortly after that started working. Given the multitasker she is, Hassan also took up several short-courses to learn new skills part-time, which she balanced her job. In 1986, she was awarded an advanced diploma in public administration when she graduated from the present-day Mzumbe University, previously known as the Institute of Development Management.
She went to England to study further in the University of Manchester, between 1992 and 1994. Here she earned her postgraduate diploma in Economics. Even after joining politics her thirst for learning remained the same as she received her MSc in Community and Economic Development in 2015 through a joint program between the Open University of Tanzania and Southern New Hampshire University.
How did Samia Suluhu Hassan’s political career start and how has it commenced?
Hassan, in 2000, made a decision to run for public office. Hassan was first elected as a special seat member to the Zanzibar House of Representatives. She was appointed as a minister by former President AmaniKarume. As the only high-ranking female minister within the cabinet, Hassan was a victim of sexism and was constantly made to feel inferior to her male collegues and looked down upon. However, her work spoke for her credibility and Hassan was re-elected in 2005.
She was re-appointed as a minister to a different portfolio. In 2010, she stood for elections at the National Assembly, standing from the constituency of Makunduchi. She won the seat by an excess of 80% majority. It was then that President JakayeKikwete finally appointed Hassan as the Minister of State for Union Affairs. In 2015, her party CCM’s presidential candidate John Magufuli chose Hassan to be his running mate for the elections in 2015. This made her the first female running mate in the CCM’s history.
Subsequently, she Hassan ended up becoming the first female vice-president of Tanzania when John Magufuli won the Presidential elections. Given their stupendous term, the duo were re-elected to their offices for another term on 28th October, 2020. Hassan served as the second female interim head of state in the East African Community country, nearly 27 years after Burundi’s Sylvie Kinigi, before she finally ascended to the position of Tanzania’s first female President.
What are some of the steps Samia Suluhu Hassan has taken to make her county more attractive investments?
Ever since she was made the President, Hassan has been proactively working towards improving the image of her country for foreign investors. She decided to complete flagship programs undertaken during President John Magufuli. She also signed a business partnership dead with Dubai while attending the Expo 2020 held in Dubai in 2022.
In 2021 itself, Hassan collaborated with journalist and filmmaker Peter Greenberg to film a movie named The Royal Tour. The film was first premiered in Los Angeles’s Paramount Theatre. The movie was a special one given it was made to encourage different parties from investing in Tanzania. She has also been proactive about vaccinating Tanzanian citizens to ensure normalcy as soon as possible.
What is the estimate earnings of Samia Suluhu Hassan?
It is natural for the President and politician who has held so many important posts in the Past to have amassed some money from the hefty pay and benefits that come with her position. Her annual salary as President is approximately $42,000 along with perks while her net worth, as estimated by some sites, is $730,000.