“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
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister. "We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know. “All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.” It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins. Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement. The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
DUBAI SEVENS 2018 DRAW
Gulf Men’s League
Pool A – Dubai Exiles, Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Sports City Eagles
Pool B – Jebel Ali Dragons, Abu Dhabi Saracens, Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Al Ain Amblers
Gulf Men’s Open
Pool A – Bahrain Firbolgs, Arabian Knights, Yalla Rugby, Muscat
Pool B – Amman Citadel, APB Dubai Sharks, Jebel Ali Dragons 2, Saudi Rugby
Pool C – Abu Dhabi Harlequins 2, Roberts Construction, Dubai Exiles 2
Pool D – Dubai Tigers, UAE Shaheen, Sharjah Wanderers, Amman Citadel 2
Gulf U19 Boys
Pool A – Deira International School, Dubai Hurricanes, British School Al Khubairat, Jumeirah English Speaking School B
Pool B – Dubai English Speaking College 2, Jumeirah College, Dubai College A, Abu Dhabi Harlequins 2
Pool C – Bahrain Colts, Al Yasmina School, DESC, DC B
Pool D – Al Ain Amblers, Repton Royals, Dubai Exiles, Gems World Academy Dubai
Pool E – JESS A, Abu Dhabi Sharks, Abu Dhabi Harlequins 1, EC
Gulf Women
Pool A – Kuwait Scorpions, Black Ruggers, Dubai Sports City Eagles, Dubai Hurricanes 2
Pool B – Emirates Firebirds, Sharjah Wanderers, RAK Rides, Beirut Aconites
Pool C – Dubai Hurricanes, Emirates Firebirds 2, Abu Dhabi Saracens, Transforma Panthers
Pool D – AUC Wolves, Dubai Hawks, Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Al Ain Amblers
Gulf U19 Girls
Pool A – Dubai Exiles, BSAK, DESC, Al Maha
Pool B – Arabian Knights, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Ain Amblers, Abu Dhabi Harlequins
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023 More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Directed: Smeep Kang Produced: Soham Rockstar Entertainment; SKE Production Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Jimmy Sheirgill, Sunny Singh, Omkar Kapoor, Rajesh Sharma Rating: Two out of five stars
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
