HER LIFE Hon. Samia Suluhu Hassan was born on January 27, 1960, in the village of Kizimkazi, South Unguja Region. She is married to Mr. Hafidh Ameir, and they have been blessed with four children, three sons, and one daughter.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING Hon. Samia Suluhu Hassan received her primary education at various schools, including Chwaka Primary School in Unguja from 1966 to 1968, Ziwani Primary School in 1970, and Mahonda Primary School in 1972. She then joined Ng’ambo Secondary School for her Form One to Form Three studies and Lumumba Secondary School for Form Four from 1973 to 1976.

In 1983, she obtained a Diploma in Statistics from the Zanzibar Institute of Economics. After working briefly at the Ministry of Planning and Development from 1983 to 1986, she joined the Institute of Development Management (IDM) Mzumbe for higher studies in Public Administration. She also received various training at the Lahore Public Administration Institute in Pakistan in 1987, the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI) in 1991, and the Hyderabad Leadership Institute in India in 1998 for a Diploma in Administration. She later joined the University of Manchester in the UK for higher studies in Economics. Additionally, she obtained a Master's degree in Community Development through a joint program between the Open University of Tanzania and Southern New Hampshire University, USA.

EXPERIENCE IN GOVERNMENT Hon. Samia Suluhu Hassan is the sixth President of the United Republic of Tanzania and the Chairperson of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM). She was sworn in on March 19, 2021, following the sudden death of the fifth President, the late Dr. John Pombe Joseph Magufuli. She is the first woman in the country to hold the positions of Vice President and later President of the United Republic of Tanzania. Other positions she has held in the government include Minister in the Vice President's Office responsible for Union Affairs (2010/2015), Minister of Tourism, Trade, and Investment in the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar (2005/2010), and Minister of Labor, Youth, Employment, Women's Development, and Children in the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar (2000/2005). In 2014, she served as the Vice Chairperson of the Constituent Assembly that discussed the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania and prepared the draft of the new Constitution. From 1987 to 1988, she was a Human Resources Planning Officer, and from 1977 to 1983, she was a Registry Clerk.

EXPERIENCE IN THE CHAMA CHA MAPINDUZI Hon. Samia Suluhu Hassan joined politics as a member of CCM on June 10, 1987. She entered electoral politics in 2000 as a Member of the Zanzibar House of Representatives representing Special Seats for Women until 2010. In the 2010 General Election, she ran and was elected as a Member of Parliament for the United Republic of Tanzania representing the Makunduchi constituency in Zanzibar.

In 2002, she was elected as a Member of the National Executive Committee of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi and was also appointed as a Member of the Central Committee of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi, positions she continues to hold to this day. She is a Member of the CCM National Congress, the CCM Regional Congress for South Unguja, and was a Member of the Political Committees for the South Unguja Region and District.

In the CCM Women's Wing, she has been a member since 1996. She has also participated in writing the CCM Manifesto four times consecutively from 2005/2010, 2010/2015, 2015/2020, and 2020/2025.

EXPERIENCE IN OTHER INSTITUTIONS In 2016, Hon. Samia was appointed by the then United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki Moon, as a Member of the United Nations High-Level Panel on Women's Economic Empowerment, representing the Eastern and Southern Africa region from 2016 to 2017. During her tenure, she presented 27 issues to the panel, which the Government of Tanzania identified as strategic steps to establish a sustainable system for achieving gender equality and women's economic empowerment.

Among the outcomes of her work is overseeing the establishment of women's economic platforms in the country to connect small and medium-sized women entrepreneurs to markets, especially women living in border areas, linking them to affordable loans, and encouraging entrepreneurship training. In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly, and Children, she launched a campaign to increase accountability in reducing maternal and child mortality, known as "Jiongeze Tuwavushe Salama."

Hon. Samia Suluhu Hassan has worked with the World Food Programme from 1988 to 1997. She has also served on various committees, boards, and institutions, such as a Member of the Zanzibar Parole Committee (2001-2010), Patron of the Zanzibar Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (1997-2000), Member of the Equal Opportunities for All Trust Fund (EOTF) Board (1996-2000), Executive Secretary of the Zanzibar Non-Governmental Organizations Association (ANGOZA) (1995-2000), Member of the Lions Club Zanzibar (1991-1998), Member of the Zanzibar Education Policy Formulation Committee (1996), and Founding Member of the Zanzibar Women's Development Catalyst (1991-1994).