The head of United Nations (UN) has congratulated Tanzania’s first head of state, President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Hassan was sworn in last week after the passing of her predecessor, John Magufuli.
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka says this is a historic moment East Africa.
She believes that President Hassan is more than ready for the job.
“We congratulate President Samia, we know here because she has been in the public scene for a long time, she is formidable with a background in economics, in public administration, finance and statistics so she comes into the position ready for it.
She has been a Vice President; she was a running mate of President Magufuli twice and a minister before so she is as ready as anybody would be,” says Mlambo-Ngcuka.
Samia Suluhu Hassan makes history as Tanzania’s first female President:
She adds: “And she began by striking a very good tone of unity in the nation and also be very assertive as a women and basically saying that if you think you haven’t seen a woman president in Tanzania, this is me and I am here which was her saying, I know what I have to do and I’m ready for the job.”
Born in 1960, Hassan hails from Makunduchi, an old town on Unguja island, in Zanzibar.
Her father was a teacher and her mother a housewife. After graduating from high school she studied public administration and later obtained a Masters in community economic development.
She began her political career in 2000 when she was elected as a special seat member in the Zanzibar House of Representatives.
Special seats are reserved for Tanzanian women leaders under the country’s quota system.
She then served as the minister of gender and children in former Amani Karume’s government. Karume was the President of Zanzibar, an autonomous region of Tanzania between 2000-2010.
Hassan also served as the minister of youth employment, and of tourism in Karume’s cabinet.
Then in 2010, she was elected member of parliament for Makunduchi, sitting in the National Assembly of Tanzania, and was appointed minister of state for union affairs by President Jakaya Kikwete.
