When Samia Suluhu Hassan turned Tanzania’s president a yr in the past after the sudden dying of her predecessor John Magufuli, many ladies had excessive hopes.
It wasn’t simply President Samia’s huge potential as a task mannequin — upon her inauguration on March 19, 2022, she turned Tanzania’s first feminine president, in addition to the one lady head of state in Africa.
It was additionally that the late President Magufuli made frequent feedback belittling girls whereas supporting insurance policies that curbed their rights. For instance, he banned pregnant youngsters from going again to high school.
Now, one yr on, many ladies are applauding Samia for her management type and promotion of girls.
In addition they reward the president for steering her nation out of the financial and well being crises triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Samia has additionally boosted Tanzania’s regional standing since taking workplace.
Diplomacy pays off
The 62-year-old chief has given Tanzania a diplomatic face-lift after the isolation throughout the Magufuli period. She has visited a number of African and European international locations and the United Arab Emirates previously yr.
“Points round financial diplomacy and commerce relations have improved a lot [under President Samia],” Ugandan human rights and lady’s rights advocate Stella Nyanzi informed DW.
This has allowed Tanzania to safe funding and signal contracts for a number of massive tasks, together with a €178 million ($196 million) concessional mortgage for bus fast transit, financing to refurbish the worldwide airport, and €450 million in EU COVID-19 aid funds, in accordance with the Tanzanian each day, The Citizen.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame is among the many heads of state President Suluhu Hassan has met previously yr
Elevated intra-African commerce
Underneath Samia Hassan, Tanzania is quickly opening as much as its neighbors.
The nation ratified the African Continental Free Commerce Space (AfCFTA) final yr, giving Tanzania entry to a market of 1.2 billion potential prospects.
Simply final month, her administration agreed to hitch the remainder of the East African Neighborhood in signing a commerce cope with the European Union, which Magufuli had beforehand blocked. Tanzania additionally lately eliminated dozens of commerce limitations with Kenya.
The nation is now reaping the advantages of those coverage modifications.
Exports of manufactured items from Tanzania to its neighbors have shot up by a 3rd “the best recorded commerce traditionally,” factors out Frannie Leautier, a Tanzanian-born worldwide funding marketing consultant. She has held senior management roles on the African Improvement Financial institution and the World Financial institution Group.
Tourism, which earlier than the pandemic made up 10% of Tanzania’s GDP, is but to get better
For Leautier, one among President Samia’s key achievements is how she has “spearheaded Tanzania’s function” each with the East Africa area and elsewhere and on the continent following AfCFTA’s launch.
Tanzania’s nationwide poverty charge fell in 2021, regardless of the results of the pandemic, Leautier mentioned, including that the Tanzanian shilling can be probably the most secure forex in East Africa.
Dar es Salaam resident Monica Patric informed DW’s Kiswahili service that the “nice issues [President Samia] is doing in and in a foreign country” is why she’s completely satisfied as a lady along with her efficiency.
“There are such a lot of modifications since President Samia took workplace,” she mentioned. “So many individuals and I are happy with her.”
Girls in energy
Having a lady president has nice symbolic worth past Tanzania in displaying that African girls can govern, says Ugandan girls’s rights advocate Stella Nyanzi.
“I have fun President Samia Suluhu Hassan as a result of she has echoed the significance of giving girls governance,” she mentioned. “She isn’t good, however she is doing job,” including that she thinks many underestimated the president as a result of she is a Muslim lady and wears a hijab.
One other Dar es Salaam resident, Mary Sandi, mentioned she appreciates seeing extra girls advance into influential political positions.
“Our parliamentary speaker is a lady and is doing an ideal job on the parliament, which is a superb achievement as a result of the parliament is secure and doing properly,” she informed DW.
Tanzania has extra girls cupboard ministers than ever earlier than. After a number of cupboard shuffles previously yr, 9 out of 25 ministries, or 36%, are at the moment headed by girls.
Stergomena Tax is Tanzania’s first feminine protection minister
This consists of the appointment of Stergomena Tax to steer the ministry of protection, the primary time within the nation’s historical past that the vital place has gone to a lady.
“Evidently she is privileging professionalism, capability, and talent, and that is meant much more feminine appointments,” mentioned Tanzanian political commentator and feminist blogger Elsie Eyakuze.
Youthful appointees
President Samia additionally appears to be giving youthful girls an opportunity to display their management abilities. For instance, Tanzania’s ambassador to the US, former economist Elsie Sia Kanza, is barely 46.
“[President Samia] has appointed younger girls, and girls basically, to non-traditional roles by taking a look at their competency and functionality and setting them up for achievement,” monetary marketing consultant Leautier mentioned.
The president herself has highlighted that 13 girls had been among the many 28 new judges she lately named.
Neighboring Rwanda, the place simply over half of the cupboard ministers and judges are girls, reveals that historically male-dominated African nations can put girls into management roles.
However this is not one thing that Tanzania can do in a single day, specialists say.
“I would be involved if she tried to drive for parity instantly as a result of we want time as a society to get used to sure issues,” political commentator Eyakuze informed DW.
“If she’s seen to favor girls completely and fully and be a feminist, which may truly arouse backlash as an alternative of making a constructive state of affairs.”
Not all plain crusing
That does not imply President Samia is supportive of all girls. Final yr, she triggered an outcry when she described the nation’s feminine footballers as having “flat-chests” and being unattractive for marriage.
On the time, girls’s rights activist Mwanahamisi Singano referred to as President Suluhu Hassan’s assertion a humiliation to girls.
“Particularly African girls, as we all know their feminine physique has been objectified for thus lengthy,” Singano informed DW in August 2021.
“Now we have been pushed to suit sure classes of magnificence. So it’s actually unhappy to listen to that the president is uttering these phrases in a way that claims: In the event you do not need these qualities, you aren’t lady sufficient. You aren’t engaging.”
As well as, the seven-month imprisonment of opposition Chadema politician Freeman Mbowe, who was launched two weeks in the past, fueled concern amongst rights teams whether or not President Samia was returning to the repressive strategies of the late John Magufuli.
Chadema Chairman Freeman Mbowe was launched after the prosecution dropped terrorism expenses towards him
Calmness a welcome respite
Above all, President Samia appears to be appreciated by girls within the area for her calm and thought of management, which contrasts with the self-promotion and blustering typically related to different political figures within the area.
“I believe she’s a task mannequin for each women and men by way of her type of listening and fascinating and in steadily shifting issues ahead,” mentioned political commentator Elsie Eyakuze.
Worldwide funding marketing consultant Frannie Leautier wholeheartedly agrees.
“She’s acquired extra of a top quality of like listening and deliberating earlier than she speaks and when she speaks, she’s normally very properly ready,” Leutier mentioned.
“So I really feel like we’re shifting again in direction of a correct skilled method to public service slightly than the cult of character.”
Edited by: Chrispin Mwakideu