The Most Influential Person on AIB this week is H. E. DR. Samia Suluhu Hassan

Samia Suluhu Hassan was born on January 27, 1960, in Zanzibar, now part of the Republic of Tanzania. She is a Tanzanian politician who has been serving as the president of Tanzania since 2021.

She is the country’s first female president and the first president born in Zanzibar.

Samia Suluhu Hassan completed her secondary education in 1977 and subsequently worked in various positions with the World Food Programme and the Zanzibar Government.

While working, she pursued further education, earning a diploma and a postgraduate diploma in economics in 1994 from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. She also obtained a master’s degree in community economic development in 2005 through a joint program between the Open University of Tanzania and Southern New Hampshire University in the United States.

Her political career began when she was elected to the Zanzibar House of Representatives, where she also served as a minister. She was re-elected to the Zanzibar House of Representatives in 2005 and continued her ministerial role.

In 2010, she was elected to Tanzania’s National Assembly, representing the Makunduchi constituency. During this time, she was appointed Minister of State for Union Affairs by President Jakaya Kikwete.

In 2014, she became the vice chairperson of the Constitutional Assembly, which was tasked with drafting a new constitution for Tanzania.

In October 2015, Samia’s political career took a significant leap when she was selected as the running mate for Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) presidential candidate John Magufuli. Upon their victory, she was inaugurated as Tanzania’s first female Vice President.

On March 17, 2021, Samia was sworn in as president following the death of President Magufuli.

As president, she reversed several policies of her predecessor and established a task force focused on the “4Rs”: Resilience, Reconciliation, Reforms, and Rebuilding.

One notable result was lifting the six-year ban on opposition parties imposed during Magufuli’s administration.

Samia married Hafidh Ameir in 1970, and they have four children together.