President Samia: What I want is 50/50 with delivery

Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan has said that her strategy for elevating women in her government is based on merit.

Speaking at a fireside chat with Mwananchi Communications Limited managing director, Bakari Machumu, during The Citizen’s Rising Woman dinner gala on March 8, 2024, President Hassan urged more capable women to grab available gender equality opportunities.

“The chairperson of the board of Mwananchi Communications Limited [Leonard Mususa] has just said that he has checked and found out that my cabinet has about eight to nine women, and he would like the country to attain 50/50 gender equality,” she said.

“Now, I would like to have 50/50 gender equality, but not for the sake of 50/50 gender equality, but for those who are capable of moving on with us. Those who can justify that they are capable of delivery. It is not just filling in numbers because we want 50/50 gender equality. No. It is 50/50 gender equality with delivery,” she said, amidst applause.

Echoing Mr Mususa’s comments—he spoke before her—President Hassan noted that research has shown that institutions with a large number of women have been recording outstanding achievements.

This, she noted, should motivate more women to participate in the forthcoming elections, especially local government authority polls.

“Once elected, these women would have the opportunity to speak on issues of interest to women and youth,” President Hassan noted.

She urged women to come forward in large numbers and actively participate in the upcoming elections, particularly the civic polls.

Meanwhile, President Hassan revealed that her decision to make a statement reasserting her position as the Head of State during the public funeral of her predecessor, the late John Magufuli, stemmed from the need to reassure Tanzanians and herself that she was capable of taking over and leading the nation through unprecedentedly difficult circumstances.

“I had to declare that ‘I stand here before you as the President of the country, who happens to be a woman’,” she recalled.

"It was the first time that a head of state had died in office in Tanzania. It was the first time that a woman had become President in Tanzania. So, obviously, there were some apprehensions. I needed to reassure the people that they were in safe hands," she added.

President Hassan also disclosed her childhood aspirations of becoming an air hostess, influenced by the allure of their attire and appearance.

"One day, my brother asked me what I was going to be when I grew up. I replied that I was going to be an air hostess. He told me flatly that I had to rethink my job aspirations," she recounted.

Despite her initial dreams, familial pressure led her to enrol in a teacher’s training college after completing secondary education.

However, she rebelled against this choice, running away on the first night and subsequently finding employment as a clerk in Zanzibar.

Reflecting on her career trajectory, President Hassan explained that her foray into politics was motivated by a profound desire to advocate for the marginalized and voiceless in society.

"But as fate would have it, I was appointed a minister in the Zanzibar government only two weeks after becoming a Member of the House of Representatives. That is when my political journey actually started," she shared.

Following various ministerial appointments in the Zanzibar government, she eventually ran for Parliament in the Makunduchi constituency, winning with overwhelming support.

Despite her initial reservations, President Hassan embraced subsequent political opportunities, including serving as deputy speaker of the Constituent Assembly in 2014. She was nominated by her party, CCM, as the running mate during the 2015 General Election.

After CCM’s victory, she became Vice President.

“After becoming Vice President, I was not overly anxious. I knew my roles were mainly advising the President and representing him here and there,” she noted.

It was assuming the responsibilities of the presidency that presented unique challenges, as she had no clear personal agenda beyond the CCM manifesto.

“It was not easy. The world was going through the Covid-19 pandemic. People were dying. The economy was in the doldrums. There were big political divisions. I had to think hard and come up with ways to heal the country,” she noted.

She eventually came up with the 4Rs philosophy—Reconciliation, Resilience, Reforms, and Rebuilding—to guide her leadership.

"I am grateful that this philosophy has been well received, and we are progressing well as a nation," she shared. This approach has facilitated increased participation and strengthened her ability to lead the nation effectively.