“I am a polite lady who talks politely but firmly. I don’t bang tables or threaten people but I have steel in my veins.” Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzania’s new president and currently Africa’s only female leader, will need that steel. While she is no “Bulldozer”, as her late predecessor John Pombe Magafuli was known, she is a savvy, experienced and competent politician who is not afraid to take a stand when it matters. She is respected in Tanzania as a thoughtful and considerate consensus builder, calm under fire and a firm believer in due process.
Tanzania’s first female president, however, is navigating uncharted waters. She takes office amid a raging and unchecked Covid-19 pandemic that is devastating her nation. President Hassan will also have to contend with a private sector that is increasingly losing its confidence, and the difficulty of governing a country that is largely alienated from the international community.
She is a savvy, experienced and competent politician who is not afraid to take a stand
She has an important opportunity to turn Tanzania around. But to do so she quickly will need to win over a “deep state” that is staffed largely by the appointees of her dictatorial predecessor, a leader who tolerated no dissent and counted personal loyalty to himself as the deciding qualification for any appointments to high office.
On the upside, however, President Hassan has courted a great deal of optimism and goodwill both inside and outside the country. She needs swiftly to consolidate her power and get a few strong wins under her belt with a 100-day plan that addresses the Covid-19 health crisis and brings Tanzania back into the global and regional fold. It must also give business and investors a reason to get excited again.
She’s made some good gestures so far. On the virus front, she is putting together a special coronavirus task force to advise her on which steps the government should take based on the latest scientific data and findings. It is a bold and much-needed move that marks an about turn from the Covid-19-denying antics of Tanzania’s former president, who banned daily reports on the number of infections and only endorsed traditional herbal remedies to counter the virus.
Former Tanzanian president John Magufuli died in March. Getty Images
Explicit and enforceable rules such as simply asking all Tanzanians to wear a mask would go a long way in curbing the pandemic. Reporting the country’s infection and death rates would help not only its people, but the region and the world. And while Tanzania would be a latecomer in acquiring vaccines, Ms Hassan should launch a nation-wide campaign to explain the reasons behind this change in policy and why vaccines are essential. This will require effective government communication, something that up until now has been severely lacking.
As she works to save lives, she must also address the need to protect livelihoods. She must change Tanzania’s economic and business environment, as well as the global perception of its markets. Investors, both domestic and international, have been put off by issues to do with governance, excessive red tape, the difficulty of obtaining work permits, arbitrary taxation laws and even the capricious interference of certain members of the country’s elite.
Ms Hassan needs to give powerful signals to the private sector that she is committed to pro-business legislation and dedicated to creating a level playing field for all. She could start by setting up a credible private sector advisory council to restore trust, repair the broken relationship between government and business and start building a strong public-private partnership to grow the economy.
This will require deep structural reforms, which could face opposition from those with vested interests in the current system, including her predecessor’s allies.
On the international relations front, she has charged Liberta Mulamula, a skilled career diplomat who has vast experience in foreign missions, with reaching out to international capitals. Tanzania historically has been respected in the Pan-African community, having supported many countries before and after their independence from colonial rule.
Domestically, President Hassan says she will reach out to the opposition and has indicated that she wants to restore vibrant and active democracy. She will allow previously banned media outlets to operate once again. These words are a strong start but must be followed up by action. The jury is still out on how far she will really go in addressing these issues.
Kenyan Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed speaks for all us East African women when she says of Ms Hassan that “the glass ceiling has been broken in our region by a gracious, knowledgeable, experienced and distinguished leader that we all admire and respect”.
She may not be a bulldozer, but President Hassan’s steel fist in a velvet glove will come in handy, as she charts a new, modern and democratic course for Tanzania.
Zain Verjee is a former CNN anchor and US state department correspondent. Her global media advisory firm builds communications products for emerging markets
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30-December 2, at The Sevens, Dubai
Gulf Under 19
Pool A – Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jumeirah College Tigers, Dubai English Speaking School 1, Gems World Academy
Pool B – British School Al Khubairat, Bahrain Colts, Jumeirah College Lions, Dubai English Speaking School 2
Pool C - Dubai College A, Dubai Sharks, Jumeirah English Speaking School, Al Yasmina
Pool D – Dubai Exiles, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Ain Amblers, Deira International School
South Africa
Faf du Plessis (captain), Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Lungi Ngidi.
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
