Regional
Samia's leading women in her first year of gender agenda
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Samia Suluhu Hassan may have been the unlikely president of Tanzania, having taken over after the death of John Pombe Magufuli, but since her swearing-in on March 19, 2021, nothing about her words and actions are unlikely.
She’s
been steadfast in her short political career as a non-conforming thinker,
pro-women, open to the rest of the world and all the opportunities it presents,
but also very calculating in her political manoeuvres both in Tanzania and
abroad.
She
has advocated for inclusivity, meaning bringing more women on board in public
positions of power, pushing the gender agenda with a clear purpose of
harnessing the best from the pool of leaders Tanzania has nurtured; as well as
seeking policies or changing them to be just to women and girls.
In
her second Cabinet reshuffle in June 2021, she retained all four female
ministers from the Magufuli administration, moved them around and added four
new fresh faces to bring the total number of women to eight, in a team of 22 --
the highest for the country since Independence at 34.3 percent – but still
trailing Kigali's 55 percent representation, and ahead of Kenya's 33.3.
As
she marks one year of her presidency this Saturday, there have been mixed
reactions to her leadership. The EastAfrican spoke with a few ordinary
Tanzanians and their opinions on her performance were varied.
Ritha
Paul a resident of Iringa and a primary school administrator said that her
leadership is “a step in the right direction, especially appointing more women
in Cabinet but she needs to reach out to women in the lower levels of the
population.”
A
leader of a non-government organisation from the Kilimanjaro Region, Juliet
Samwel concurs.
“Apart
from the appointments I cannot think of anything specific she has done for
women. Most projects are general and involve both men and women leaders. I want
to see her walking the talk going forward. She has made a number of pledges
such as disbursing loans to help empower women financially, but none if this
has happened yet.” Her organisation deals with farming and tourism issues in
Simanjiro and Moshi.
In
her first major national meeting with women community leaders, to mark the
International Day of Democracy on September 15, 2021, President Samia talked of
pushing for economic empowerment and financial inclusion by “not leaving women
behind” explaining “women being 51 percent of the population, no country can
develop without including women, who are known to be entrepreneurial and
business-minded people.”
Analysts
say an inclusive gender-balanced government will not only promote general
equality and women empowerment but is also important in decision-making
processes since the opinions tend to be varied, far-reaching and therefore
impacting more people for good.
But
the general sentiment on Samia’s government is that she should go beyond
Cabinet appointments and seek change in all sectors if she is to change the
male-dominated narrative. To her credit, President Samia has appointed several
women in the central government administration as Regional Commissioners and
deputies.
She
said this will change the status quo and focus on bringing participatory
development to economically empower women.
Today,
President Samia’s Cabinet features eight powerful women handling crucial
dockets.
Dr Stergomena Tax: Minister for Defence
and National Service
Making
a comeback to the Cabinet after two decades, Dr Tax, is a woman of firsts, with
her appointment in January demystifying the notion that this ministry is a
preserve of men.
A
PhD in Philosophy and International Development from the University of Tsukuba
in Japan and a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Finance from the University of
Dar es Salaam, she was Tanzania’s minister for Finance from 1991 to 2002.
Later
in 2008, she served as permanent secretary in the ministry of East African
Co-operation, and later expanded her scope when she was appointed the first
woman executive secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
in 2013, taking her leadership skills regional.
At
her swearing-in in Dodoma, President Samia said that “her vast experience from
her previous position at SADC is why I appointed her. She is well informed
about security issues in the region.”
Ambassador Liberata Mulamula: Minister
of Foreign Affairs and East African Co-operation
She
could be new to Cabinet but not to public service. Mulamula is a career
diplomat who brings 35 years of experience in public service and diplomacy to
President Samia’s government. In June 2021, she was appointed Minister for
Foreign Affairs and East African Co-operation, the second woman to serve in
this docket after Dr Asha-Rose Migiro.
A
distinguished diplomat, Mulamula has served as Tanzanian ambassador to the
United States; first executive secretary of the International Conference on the
Great Lakes Region between 2006 and 2011 and later as Permanent Secretary in
the same ministry in 2015, during Magufuli’s first term.
Between
2012 and 2013, she was Special Advisor to then-president Jakaya Kikwete on all
diplomatic matters.
Dr Ashatu Kijaji: Minister of Industry,
Trade and Investment
A
first time Cabinet member, she is one of President Samia’s revelations and was
appointed to the crucial ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, at a time
of world economic uncertainty and national interests torn between development
projects and external borrowing and debt.
She
is in charge of Tanzania’s economic transformation into an industrialised
country, attractive to investors and trade partners both regionally and
internationally. With President Samia’s push for women's economic empowerment,
this ministry is expected to break biases against women entrepreneurs when it
comes to opportunities and employment in order to create an equal playing
field.
In
her first year in parliament between 2015 and 2020, she was the deputy minister
for Finance and Planning. She is a PhD holder from the University of Agder,
Norway.
Ummy Mwalimu: Minister for Health
This
is her second stint in this docket, having been appointed first by Magufuli and
was the focus of local and international media in 2020 as the country battled
the Covid-19 pandemic amid government denial of the existence of the virus.
In
March 2021 Magufuli moved her to the President's Office Regional Administration
and Local Government where she served until President Samia’s Cabinet reshuffle
saw her back to the Health docket.
She
ventured into politics in 2007 and was appointed to the parliamentary special
seat in 2010 by then-president Jakaya Kikwete. She served as deputy and full
minister in the ministry of Community Development, Gender and Children and Vice
President's Office and the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs where
she was a deputy minister. And later was appointed to Cabinet as Magufuli’s
minister for State in the Vice President's Office (Union and Environment).
Prof Joyce Ndalichako: Minister of State
in the Office of the Prime Minister Policy, Parliament, Labour,
Employment, Youth and the Disabled
Prof
Joyce Ndalichako is a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of
Alberta in Canada. She was a senior lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam
when she was nominated to parliament and appointed minister for Education in
2015 by Magufuli. She joined elective politics in 2020 and won the Kasulu Urban
Constituency in Kigoma and was reappointed into the same ministerial position.
President
Samia retained her in the same docket until January 2022 when she was moved to
her current docket.
Jenista Mhagama: Minister of State in
the President’s Office Good Governance and Public Services.
Jenista
Joakim Mhagama joined politics in 1987 serving in a variety of roles in women
and youth wings of the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi.
She
served as Deputy Minister for Education and Vocational Training in president
Kikwete's administration from January 2014 and January 2015. A Cabinet
reshuffled saw her become the minister for State in the Prime Minister's Office
(Policy, Co-ordination and Parliamentary Affairs).
In
2000 she was appointed to a special seat member of parliament until 2005 when
she beat former Finance minister Simon Mbilinyi in the Peramiho constituency
seat. A vibrant MP, she stirred up debates and raised many questions in Bunge.
She
served as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office (Labour, Employment, Youth
and People with Physical Disabilities) in Magufuli’s government before moving
to the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for parliamentary, labour and the
disabled, which she held for more than five years.
She
studied entrepreneurship and earned a certificate from the International Labor
Organisation (ILO) in Turin. She is a trained teacher and taught for six years
between 1991 and 1997.
Dr Dorothy Gwajima: Minister for
Community Development, Gender, Women, and Special Groups
She
is best remembered as the Health minister who sold Magufuli’s herbs and steam
treatment for Covid-19, disregarding conventional medicine and vaccination.
When President Samia retained her in the Health docket in her first Cabinet
reshuffle, there were murmurs of disapproval.
A
graduate of the Nizhniy Novgorod Medical Academy in Russia, she holds a
Bachelor’s degree in Medicine. She was nominated MP in 2005 by Magufuli and appointed
Deputy Permanent Secretary in the President’s Office, Regional Administration
and Local Government.
Magufuli
spoke highly of her work ethic. In 2020, at the peak of the pandemic, he
appointed her to Cabinet as Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender,
Elderly and Children, where she served until January 2022 when President Samia
moved her to the newly created Ministry of Gender and Social Welfare.
Pindi Chana: Minister of State in the
Prime Minister’s Office for Policy and Parliamentary Affairs
Pindi
Hazara Chana started out as a special seat member of parliament in 2010, and
then as Deputy Minister of Community Development, Gender and Children between
2014 and 2016. She was later posted as Tanzania High Commissioner to Kenya,
serving from 2017 to 2019, also representing the country in South Sudan,
Seychelles, Somalia and Eritrea from Nairobi. Her tenure in parliament was
marked by her concern and addressing issues pertaining to women and children,
health and clean water supply for rural and urban women.
Source:
www.theeastafrican.co.ke