Samia Suluhu Hassan

Some Lesser Known Facts About Samia Suluhu Hassan

• Samia Suluhu Hassan was born and raised in Makunduchi, Zanzibar, Tanzania.

• After completing higher secondary, she joined The Zanzibar Institute of Financial Administration (ZIFA) for Statistics studies and started working as an office clerk.

• Hassan has pursued many short-term courses on a part-time basis.

• In 1988, Suluhu became a development officer with the regional government of Zanzibar. She became a project manager at the World Food Programme.

• In the 1990s, she became in charge of a department that regulates non-governmental organisations in Zanzibar.

• In 1991, she joined the Institute of Management for Leaders, Hyderabad in India, for a Certificate Management Course.

• In 1992, she was employed as a clerk in a project funded by the World Food Programme (WFP).

• In 2000, Samia stepped into politics and became a special seat member of the Zanzibar House of Representatives with the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party.

• At the CCM party, she was appointed Zanzibar’s Minister for Youth Employment, Women, and Children. While in this position, she ended the prohibition on new mothers returning to school.

• In an interview, Suluhu mentioned that she was the only high-ranking woman minister in the cabinet. She added that, being the only woman in the cabinet, her male colleagues did not take her seriously.

• She was re-elected in 2005 and was appointed as Minister for Tourism and Trade Investment.

• In 2010, Hassan ran for the National Assembly Elections representing the parliamentary constituency of Makunduchi and won the seat by more than 80% votes.

• After her victory, President Jakaya Kikwete appointed her as the Minister of State for Union Affairs.

• In 2014, she was elected as the Vice-Chairperson of the Constituent Assembly, a body responsible for drafting the country’s new constitution.

• In the 2015 general election, Suluhu was selected as the CCM party’s vice-presidential candidate along with presidential candidate John Magufuli. Her selection was very unexpected, as more prominent and senior politicians were available from the party. She was also the first female running mate in the party’s history.

• Samia Suluhu Hassan and Magufuli won the election and were sworn in on 5 November 2015.

• After her win, she became the first female Vice-President of Tanzania.

• In the 2020 general election, she and John Magufuli were re-elected as the Vice-President and President of Tanzania, respectively. However, this time, their victory was called into question after allegations of electoral fraud by independent observers.

• In March 2021, after the death of John Magufuli, Samia Suluhu was sworn in as the President of Tanzania for his second term.

• Upon her swearing-in as President, Suluhu became Tanzania’s first female president and the second Zanzibari to hold the post, after Ali Hassan Mwinyi.

• She became one of only two serving female heads of state in Africa at the time she was sworn in, alongside Ethiopia’s Sahle-Work Zewde.

• The first statement she made after becoming the President of Tanzania was three weeks of mourning for Magufuli’s death.

• After becoming President, she completed the project initiated by John Magufuli.

• As president, Hassan quickly took action to address Magufuli’s mistake regarding COVID-19 pandemic and address the pandemic. Her government recommended that people practice social distancing and wear masks in public. Additionally, she encouraged Tanzanians to get vaccinated against the virus, even receiving a shot in public to help boost confidence in the vaccine.

• She prioritized the work that included establishing a railway line, building a hydropower plant, and making electricity and clean water available in rural Tanzania.

• In July 2021, to promote tourism in Tanzania, Samia made a film titled The Royal Tour with journalist and filmmaker Peter Greenberg.

• In September 2021, she addressed the United Nations General Assembly and became the fifth African woman to do so.

• In 2022, Suluhu attended the Expo 2020, Dubai, and promoted Tanzania’s products and opportunities. She also signed a business partnership deal with Dubai. In the same year, she was named among the top 100 most influential people in the world by an American magazine, Time.

• Samia took steps to increase freedom of speech and freedom of the press to improve Tanzania’s global image, which was not good at the time of John Magufuli’s presidency. She released many political prisoners, met with opposition leaders, and also reopened the newspapers that were shut down for criticising Mugfufuli’s government.

• She also improved Tanzania’s relations internationally.

  

• In 2023, she lifted the ban on political rallies, which was implemented by her predecessor.

• In January 2025, CCM nominated Samia as its presidential candidate for the October 2025 Tanzanian general election.

• On 27 August 2025, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) approved her candidacy, while the opposition candidate, Luhaga Mpina, and Tanzania’s main opposition party, Chadema, were barred from the election. After this, a protest broke out in October 2025, leading to military involvement and internet disruption in Tanzania.

• In November 2025, Sululu won the election with 97% of the vote.

• On 3 November 2025, she was sworn in at a private ceremony that was closed to the public.

  

• The 2025 general election in Tanzania faced serious allegations of fraud and violence. The African Union also mentioned that the election did not meet international standards due to irregularities and internet shutdowns. The opposition claimed that around 1,000 people were killed and the government used live ammunition against civilians.

• A protest against the ruling government and Samia Hassan broke out in November 2025.

  

• As per the Tanzanian Constitution, Samia Hassan will not be eligible for a second full term in 2030. As per the constitution, if a vice-president becomes president with more than three years remaining in the term, they are only eligible for one full five-year term.