Zanzibar First VP returns from diplomatic tour overseas

Unguja. The National Chairperson of ACT-Wazalendo and First Vice President of Zanzibar, Othman Masoud Othman, returned to Zanzibar on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, following a multi-country official tour aimed at strengthening international engagement and rallying support for democratic reforms in Zanzibar.

The high-profile diplomatic tour took Othman to the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada, where he held discussions with officials from the Commonwealth Secretariat, the U.S. State Department, and leading global policy institutions such as Chatham House.

He also met with human rights groups and members of the Tanzanian diaspora aligned with ACT-Wazalendo.

In a statement issued upon his return, the VP described the tour as "highly productive," adding that it had opened doors for deeper international dialogue on the state of democracy in Tanzania and Zanzibar in particular.

“We met with friends of Zanzibar who are keenly interested in developments back home. We had the opportunity to present the realities on the ground, especially regarding democratic challenges. Our journey toward justice and the liberation of Zanzibar continues,” he said.

The trip, according to Othman, marks a major step forward in advancing the party’s 2025 campaign theme, The Year of saving Zanzibar

Mr Othman was accompanied by his spouse, Mama Zainab Kombo Shaib, and received a warm welcome from party leaders and supporters at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, Abeid Amani Karume International Airport in Zanzibar, and later at his residence in Chukwani.

Those present to receive him included ACT-Wazalendo Secretary-General Ado Shaib, Zanzibar’s Minister of Health and former Deputy Secretary-General Nassor Mazrui, and the party’s Secretary for Information and Publicity, Salim Biman.

The visit is widely seen as part of ACT-Wazalendo’s broader efforts to bolster international solidarity and amplify its message ahead of the 2025 general elections.