While inaugurating the 13th Parliament on 14 November 2025, she detailed plans that combine immediate actions with long-term structural reforms aimed at modernising service delivery and expanding opportunities for all citizens.
Dodoma. President Samia Suluhu Hassan has outlined an ambitious reform agenda for Tanzania’s education and health sectors, placing human capital development at the centre of her second-term priorities.
While inaugurating the 13th Parliament on 14 November 2025, she detailed plans that combine immediate actions with long-term structural reforms aimed at modernising service delivery and expanding opportunities for all citizens.
President Hassan reaffirmed her pledge to strengthen the country’s health system through expanded staffing, infrastructure upgrades and the rollout of universal health insurance.
Within just twelve days of beginning her second term, the government announced 5,000 new jobs in the health sector. She told MPs, “This is the first step in responding to the public’s demand for improved health and education services.”
One of the most significant reforms is the introduction of Universal Health Insurance (UHI), beginning with a pilot phase that will soon be presented to Parliament.
“The government will come to you with proposals on how to implement the UHI pilot, and I urge you to support these recommendations,” she said.
The President stressed that the new insurance framework will end the long-criticised practice of withholding bodies when families struggle to settle medical bills, noting that “the cost of treatment will be covered by a patient’s insurance.”
Beyond financing reforms, the government is pushing a wider infrastructure transformation. Construction of hospitals, health centres and dispensaries now underway across the country will be completed.
Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) will also undergo major expansion, growing from 1,435 beds to 1,757 by 2030. According to President Hassan, the goal is to make MNH “a trusted centre for specialised treatment in East Africa.”
The government will also strengthen specialist services in regional and zonal referral hospitals to reduce the financial burden on patients who currently travel long distances to access advanced care. “We want services to follow the people, not the other way around,” she said.
Tanzania will further enhance its preparedness for epidemics by building a National Epidemic Diseases Hospital in Kagera, the first such facility in the country.
The President also committed to boosting domestic pharmaceutical production and ensuring local manufacturers have a guaranteed market through the Medical Stores Department (MSD).
Her health agenda includes expanding research and certification for traditional medicine, enhancing preventive healthcare, and deepening collaboration with private-sector providers.
STEM-driven learning, new teachers and digital transformation
In the education sector, President Hassan committed to fully implementing the revised education policy that emphasises practical and competency-based learning.
“We are beginning the full implementation of an education policy that prioritises skills,” she said.
As part of the 100-day commitments, the government has already announced 7,000 new teaching positions to strengthen staffing levels in schools across the country.
A major shift in the next five years will be the intensified focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Tanzania aims to produce more experts in artificial intelligence, data science, computer science and industrial technology. The 'Samia Scholarship Fund' will be used to sponsor top-performing science students both locally and abroad.
Infrastructure development will also be accelerated. President Hassan pledged to complete the construction of Girls’ Science Secondary Schools and Boys’ Talent Schools in every region, while also investing heavily in new classrooms and facilities in pre-primary, primary and secondary schools.
To reduce inequality between urban and rural learning environments, the government will digitally connect schools nationwide. She said, "We will digitally link rural and urban schools so they can exchange information and learning resources.”
At the higher education level, the government will expand student financing. “For the first time in our history, every region will have a university campus,” she noted, adding that each district will also have a well-equipped VETA college to strengthen technical and vocational training.
Additional commitments include improved facilities for pupils with special needs and expanded support for children with rare diseases who receive home-based care.
President Hassan's agenda for education and health forms the backbone of her wider national development strategy, which aims to build a more inclusive, skilled and healthy population.
As she concluded her address, she emphasised that the ultimate measure of progress will be the impact on ordinary citizens: “May the end of this Sixth Phase government be measured not only by the projects completed, but by the dignity reflected in the smiles of Tanzanians.”
