Overview of the President’s Office, State House

This section briefly presents the PO-State House’s historical background and its functions, organization structure, and methodology used to develop the strategic plan.

The President’s Office, State House Zanzibar was established following the delegated Authority of His Excellency President of Zanzibar from Zanzibar Constitution of 1984, section 50(4). These heralded structural changes following the commencement of the Eighth Phase of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar in 2020. The former President’s Office was known as the Office of the President and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council.

PO-State House recognizes its central role to support the empowerment of citizens and to reduce poverty by introducing development programs and projects that support the creation of opportunities for economic empowerment and ensure the improvement in service delivery efficiency.    

The new structure was established to expand efficiency and supervision of Government related activities to enable the achievement of the target set by Government in terms of good governance and service provision. Due to the new structure, the responsibilities of the office increased and thus the question of staffing has to be considered in terms of staff capacity and modern working tools and equipment. PO - State House made a meaningful rearrangement of its department structure whereby, The Zanzibar Institute of Archives and Records has been merged.

Functions of PO – State House
The Office of the President State House has the fundamental role of coordinating, monitoring, and overseeing the implementation of the activities as articulated in all PO – State House department portfolios, which include:

a) To develop and supervise the implementation of relevant sector policies and plans.
b) To supervise the management of human, financial, and other resources;
c) To promote the image of the President of Zanzibar and the Chairman of the Revolutionary Council;
d) To coordinate Regional and International Cooperation, International Relations and Zanzibar Diaspora issues;
e) To supervise the Government Security Office (GSO) and
f) To supervise the management, preservation, and usage of archives and record

Organization Structure
The organizational structure of the President's Office State House Zanzibar is comprises the following Departments and Units:-

i. Private Office;
ii. Department of State House Services;
iii.Department of Communication State House;
iv. Department of International Cooperation and Coordination of Zanzibar Diaspora;
v. Department of Human Resources and Administration;
vi. Department of Planning, Policy, and Research;
vii.Government Security Office;
viii.The Zanzibar Institute of Archives and Records; 
ix. Office of Officer In-charge in Pemba; and
x. Office of the Revolutionary Council

Vision
To be the focal center for promoting good governance, peace and security.

Mission Statement
To create an enabling environment for the promotion of good governance and facilitate broad based participation of stakeholders in government processes and decision making in a sustainable manner inside and outside of Zanzibar.

Core Values
i. Professionalism: Encompassing competence or skill and a high level of work ethics;
ii. Teamwork: Willingness of staff to work together to achieve the common goals;
iii. Transparency: Communicating openly and honestly with team members and information should flow freely between all levels of work;
iv. Innovativeness: An open-minded and creative approach to achieve the results;
v. Excellence: A spirit to excel by exploring new ideas and avenues that trigger performance; and
vi. Accountability: A sense of personal responsibility by the office staff in implementing their daily responsibilities