Happy birthday Mama Samia, let it be a new beginning
THE Sixth President of Tanzania and the first woman to head the nation, Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan was born in the town of Makunduchi, in the Island of Zanzibar on January 27, 1960.
Happy birthday President Samia! Today is her 63rd birthday. In celebration of this day, I chose to pay a special tribute to her by sharing some of the strides recorded in her nearly two years in the highest office of the land.
President Dr Samia became the sixth President of Tanzania on 19 March 2021, following the death of President John Magufuli. She served as Vice President of Tanzania from 2015.
During her speech in Parliament, one month after assumption to power, President Samia expounded plans by the sixth phase government in making reforms in economy, social services and international relations.
Other plans explained by President Samia are to protect the democratic foundations, the freedom of the people, press and to strengthen the judiciary systems.
In April 2021 President Dr Samia made an interview with the BBC in which she insisted on the capacity of women to become presidents, where she stated; “Some people do not believe that women can be better presidents, we are here to show them.”
In the year 2022, the tourism sector received a big boost from President Samia following her decision to feature in the Tanzania Royal Tour documentary.
This was the first time in Tanzania’s history, that the Head of State played such a role in a film, as part of efforts to revive the tourism industry that was greatly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The initial launch was done in New York on April 18, 2022 and filming in Los Angeles on April 21, last year and in Dar es Salaam on April 28 the same year and in Zanzibar.
The documentary has had a ripple effect in the tourism sector which earns the country about 2 billion US dollars (about 4.6tri/-) per annum, with backpackers coming in droves from all over the world to sample Tanzania’s tourist attractions.
She also made a number of foreign trips within and outside Africa, a move that resulted in the signing of over 62 strategic agreements and Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with various countries and development partners.
The MoUs and agreements have been crucial in cementing further the Tanzania multilateral ties, country’s economic diplomacy, attracting investors and tourists as well as increasing export volume.
These are part of President Samia’s strategic initiatives to open and market the country in a bid to speed up development at individual and national level through job creation and income generation.
In late November 2022, University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) conferred President Samia with Honorary Doctorate Degree of Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) as recognition for her significant contribution in steering the country towards the right direction and championing human rights.
Presenting the biography of Dr Samia, Prof Penina Mlama of UDSM said since President Samia came to power, she created an enabling environment for the private sector by reducing obstacles in obtaining permits, business licenses and adjusting various taxes.
“The head of state made great efforts in establishing international and regional economic relations, and contracts for large projects have been signed, including gas and oil pipelines,” She added
More so, Prof Mlama noted that through directives by President Samia, the government endorsed the second education bill of 2022 which removed the obstacles to access formal education for female students who dropped out of school for various reasons, including early pregnancies.
“The bill helped some 8,000 girls to be reinstated in formal education after they dropped out because of early pregnancies,” she noted.
Prof Mlama remarked further that; “In promoting democracy and good governance, President Samia has been advocating for four Rs, which stand for reconciliation, resilience, reform and rebuilding the nation.”
In particular, she said the Head of the State gave priority to women in leadership, including appointing them as government ministers, District commissioners, judges, district executive directors and ambassadors in addition to heads of public institutions and corporations.
“Various organisations and people in the world appreciated the contribution of President Samia to the development and awarded her with several prizes, including the 100 Most Influential People of 2022 as well as the Africa Road Builders–Babacar Ndiaye Trophy.
“When she addressed the parliament, President Samia remarked; “this is the first time in the history of our nation to have a female president, there will be a few people who are worried that due to my gender I will not be able to fulfill my duties.
“I want to use this platform to remove the fear that the Almighty God did not create a weak brain for a woman and a great potential brain for a man, so I believe I have the ability to lead this nation,” Prof Mlama quoted President Samia.
