New President and a change of tack

The Livingstone Tanzania Trust welcomes President Samia Suluhu Hassan to her new position and we wish her all the best as she takes on all the challenges she faces.

President Hassan replaced the late President John Magafuli who passed away earlier in the year aged 61. President Magafuli was a charismatic leader who lead from the front to tackle some of the problems faced by the country and hence got his nickname as ‘The bulldozer’. His style intentionally ruffled feathers and he created a near cult following in East Africa with people asking “What would Magafuli do?” when they were faced with hurdles. Whilst the President achieved many great things, his leadership style was often at odds with democratic norms which he sometimes felt were a hinderance to progress. He was a strong Nationalist and fought against both western and eastern powers that he believed were conducting colonialism by stealth.

President Hassan, previously the vice-president, is her own boss and is not stuck to following the path determined by the late President. She has already lifted restrictions placed on the press and is addressing the business and foreign investment culture previously laid down. She has also acknowledged the Coronavirus pandemic and taken steps to develop plans to address it

We look forward to working with you Madam President in the service of the Tanzanian people.