DODOMA: THE National Assembly has elected Dr Gladness Salema to represent Tanzania in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).
Dr Salema garnered a total of 254 votes out of 272 votes cast by Members of the Parliament.
Dr Salema, who is a senior lecturer at the University of Dar es salaam’s Business School (UDBS) is replacing Dr Shongo Mlozi who died on June 13 this year at the Mount Meru Hospital in Arusha.
Announcing Dr Salema’s victory, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Mussa Zungu, said that the House currently constitutes 393 members, but only 274 voted.
He said that of the 274 votes cast, 254 Members of Parliament voted in favour of Dr Salema while 18 voted against.
Zungu commended Chama cha Mapinduzi Chairperson President Samia Suluhu Hassan for overseeing the process at the party level with fairness and transparency.
Soliciting vote from the MPs, Dr Salema pledged to protect and defend the interests of the country at the Legislative Assembly.
ALSO READ: New Fair Competition Bill sails through
Dr Salema said that she has a wide and extensive experience as far as governance, leadership and management is concern.
She said she has been engaged in several national development programmes, including the Agricultural Sector Development Program II and is currently serving as a technical member in drafting Vision 2050.
“I therefore understand my country’s priorities and interests very well and I believe I have what it takes to defend and protect my country in the East African Community,” she noted.
She said as a researcher with a wide experience in analysis she will use data to inform all the decisions in the EALA.
Dr Salema said inclusiveness will be one of her principles following her engagement in several development activities which address the needs of marginalised groups.
She assured Members of the Parliament that they will never be disappointed if they elect her to represent Tanzania in the EALA since she is a person of integrity, transparency and accountability.
“I have been supporting regional collaborations, I have quite experience in engaging with our partners from Kenya Uganda, Rwanda through joint collaborative researches thus I have all skills in terms of cultural dynamics to navigate in EALA,” she noted.
She asked MPs to elect her so that she can join the Tanzanian team and complement its efforts to push the integration agenda forward and transform the East Africa.
Dr Salema expressed appreciation to Chama Cha Mapinduzi and Members of the Parliament for trusting her to represent both the party and the National Assembly in the East Africa Legislative Assembly.
“I believe I am the right candidate for this position because I have all the qualifications to be a representative of my party, National Assembly and the government,” she said.
Dr Salema has 17 years of work experience in teaching, research and consultancy. She is a public health logistician with a PhD in Logistics and Master in Public health.
She has been teaching in the areas of operations management, managerial economics and supply chain management.
She has also conducted several research in health supply chain, among others.
