Samia Suluhu Hassan

Children

Samia and her husband have four children with their daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, who is currently a member of Zanzibar House of Representatives. They have one daughter and three sons.^[2]

Religion

Samia Suluhu Hassan is a practising Muslim.^[3]

Education

Samia Suluhu Hassan graduated from Mzumbe University in 1986 with an Advanced Diploma in Public Administration. She continued on to the University of Manchester where she received a postgraduate diploma in Economics in 1994. In 2015 received a received a Masters in Science in Community Economic Development through a joint program between the Open University of Tanzania and the Southern New Hampshire University.^[2][4]

Hassan graduated from high school but has said publicly that her finishing results were poor, and she took a clerkship in a government office at 17. By 1988, after undertaking further study, Hassan had risen through the ranks to become a development officer in the Zanzibar government.^[1]

Political Career

She was employed as a project manager for the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) and later in the 1990s was made executive director of an umbrella body governing non-governmental organisations in Zanzibar.^[1]

Suluhu Hassan began her political career in 2000 after she was elected as a special seat member of the Zanzibar House of Representatives and appointed a minister. At the time, she was the only high-ranking female minister in the Cabinet.

After serving two terms, she sought election to the National Assembly in 2010, winning the vote by more than 80%. President Jakaya Kikwete appointed her as the minister of state for union affairs In 2014, she was elected as the vice-chairperson of the Constitutional Assembly tasked with drafting Tanzania's new constitution.

In 2015, Magufuli selected Suluhu Hassan as his running mate — a surprise choice over many more prominent members of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party.^[3] She became Tanzania's 10th Vice President and assumed Office on 5 November 2015, under President Dr John Pombe Magufuli. Before she became Vice President she was a Minister of State, Vice Presidents Office in charge of Union Affairs.

From 2005-2010 she served as a Minister for Tourism, trade and Investment in Zanzibar and in 2000-2005 a Minister of Youth Employment, Women and Children Development in Zanzibar.^[5]

In 2005, when she was minister of labour, gender development and children in Zanzibar, she overturned a ban on young mothers returning to school after giving birth.^[2]

In March 2021 she was sworn in as Tanzania's first female president following the death of John Magufuli. She was sworn in to complete Magufuli's second five-year term in office, which began in October 2020 after he won general elections. She became Tanzania's first president born in semi-autonomous Zanzibar.^[3]

References