Africa-Press – Tanzania. AS Tanzania edges closer to celebrating its 60th independence, the country is rejoicing in huge progress made towards attaining gender parity, with President Samia Suluhu Hassan standing tall as the pinnacle of the success story.
President Samia was sworn in as the country’s first female Head of State in March this year, ushering in a new era for women’s leadership in Tanzania and Africa at large. She became the ninth woman to hold the position of president in African politics and the first in Tanzania.
According to the Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly, and Children, Dr Dorothy Gwajima, Tanzania has taken initiatives to increase women’s participation in leadership roles locally and internationally.
“There was not even a single woman in the first Cabinet formed immediately after independence. Lucy Selina Lameck Somi was appointed junior minister for Organization and Community Development in 1965, making her the first woman to become a minister,” Dr Gwajima stated as she detailed on the achievements made in the sectors under her ministry since Tanzania got independence.
Women have continued to be trusted since then, she said, adding that the number of female ministers has reached seven, and the number of female Members of Parliament has risen from 127 in 2015 to 145 in 2020. She asserted that as a result of such efforts, Tanzania now has a female president, who has also served several roles prior to taking the throne.
Dr Gwajima added that Anne Makinda, the first Lady Speaker of the Parliament, and Tulia Akson, the current Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, are among Tanzanian women who have occupied significant positions.
According to Dr Gwajima, other notable women in Tanzania who have held top positions in the world include, Ms Getrude Mongela, who was the Speaker of the Pan African Parliament and also the Secretary-General of the Fourth UN World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, in 1995.
The list also highlighted Professor Anna Tibaijuka, who was the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) from 2006 to 2010 and Dr Asha Rose Migiro, who served as Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations from 2007 to 2012.
It also cited Dr Stergomena Tax, the first woman to serve as the Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for eight years from 2013 to 2021. Dr Tax is also the first woman to hold the position of Minister for Defence and National Service.
African women who have laid foundations for future female leadership in the continent include, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, who served as president for 12 years, former Malawian President Joyce Banda and Ethiopia’s Sahle-Work Zewde. Women’s presence and participation in national politics have risen dramatically over time, especially in the 20th Century.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and Brazilian President Dilma Roussef are just a few examples.
“Tanzania has enabled women to fully participate in the economy during its 60 years of independence,” she said, adding that it has also been providing various resources such as interest-free loans from the allocation of 10 per cent of local government revenue.
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