Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan Profile

H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan (aka Mama Samia) took office as the 6th President of the country on 19th March 2021, after the sudden death of John Magufuli, the previous president, two days earlier.

Prior to her appointment, she was the 10th Vice President of Tanzania from 5th November 2015.

She is the first-ever female President and Vice President of Tanzania.

Early Life, Education, and Career

Samia Suluhu Hassan was born on 27 January 1960 in Zanzibar-part of the United Republic of Tanzania since 196a-when it was still a sultanate.

After graduating from high school in 1977, she was employed by the Ministry of Planning and Development as a clerk.

From 1983 to 1986, she studied for and obtained a Diploma in Public Administration from the Institute of Development Management (present-day Mzumbe University).

Upon graduation, she was employed as a Project Manager for the World Food Program (WFP).

She earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Economics at the University of Manchester in 1994.

In 2000 she entered politics joining the CCM party. The same year she was appointed Minister for Youth Employment, Women and Children Development (2000 – 2005) for the Zanzibar Government.

In 2005, she was appointed Minister for Tourism, Trade, and Investment. She held the charge until 2010.

In 2015, she obtained an MSc in Community Economic Development via a joint program between the Open University of Tanzania and the Southern New Hampshire University.

In 2010, she was appointed Minister of State for Union Affairs, a position that she held until 2015.

The same year, CCM’s presidential nominee John Magufuli chose her as his running mate for the elections taking place that year and subsequently became the first female vice-president in the history of Tanzania.

Both Magufuli and Suluhu were re-elected for a second five-year term on 28 October 2020.

Two days after the sudden death of President Magufuli, she was appointed as the 6th President of the country.

According to the Tanzanian constitution, she should serve the remainder of Magufuli’s five-year term which began in November 2020.