Ambassador Amina Salum Ali, Tanzania’s woman of class
Ambassador Amina Salum Ali, the current Minister of Trade and Industry of Zanzibar, is among a few
Tanzanian ladies with considerable academic achievement and a long career in the public service.
After attaining her degree of Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Delhi University in 1979, and MBA
from University of Pune, India, in 1981, she returned home and got employed by the Zanzibar Planning Commission as a Senior Economist and Deputy Commissioner for Macro Economy. She went on to become Director for Foreign trade and later on Head of the Zanzibar Board of Trade mandated with Export Promotion and International Procurement. She was later appointed Deputy Minister of Finance in the Union government, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and back to the Finance Ministry as Minister of State. In 1990, she returned to the Zanzibar government as the Minister of Finance, a position she held for ten years. She then became a Member of the Zanzibar Planning Commission for five years. Her accumulated experience in these high profile positions opened another door of opportunity for her on the International stage: In 2006 she was appointed Ambassador by the African Union (AU), to head its office in Washington as Permanent Representative, where she served for about
ten years. In 2015, she came back home. Ambassador Amina Salum granted an interview to Who’s who Tanzania in Zanzibar. Excerpts:
Q: In 2015 you vied for nomination to run for President under the ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM).
What made you want to become the First Citizen of Tanzania?
Let me put it this way, in my whole life, it has been my passion to do something for the people. During my school days, I would always volunteer for community work. It has been my mission to use my education and opportunities that come my way to improve the lives of others. That’s why even my first choice of what I would like to be in life, was to become a medical doctor and help those suffering from diseases. I believe it was because of this commitment that I begun to hold responsibilities of
leadership from the time when I was still a student. For instance, when I was studying in India, I was chairperson of Tanzania students’ association.
Thus whenever I get an opportunity to hold a position to serve people, I do it without hesitation be it for the women, the young; irrespective of whether it is in the Government of Zanzibar, the Union Government of Tanzania or for the international community. So I contested for the presidency for the same purpose, knowing that I have to give back the blessing bestowed on me.
You have worked for both the Zanzibar and union governments. What is your view on the union?
In general, we are one nation. Both governments must put the people of Tanzania first in everything they do. For me as one of the leaders in our country, whatever I do, I do it for the people of Tanzania, irrespective of their background. But, having said that, we do have some few issues regarding the union, most of which have been resolved amicably. What we should continue to bear in mind is that we are Tanzanians and Tanzania should be first on our agenda. Whether one comes from Zanzibar or Bukoba on the mainland Tanzania, we should not allow petty issues to divide us and make the life of our people difficult.
How did your African Union (AU) appointment come about?
The AU headquarters in Addis Ababa specifically wanted a woman from East African countries to head
one of its diplomatic missions. I was picked through the Foreign Affairs Ministry to take up the position. When I got to Addis Ababa, there were several vacant AU diplomatic missions which needed to be filled.
Apart from Washington, there was also New York, Geneva and Brussels. The AU’s choice for my station was Washington. I accepted the posting and went there. As Head of the AU mission in Washington, I represented Africa in the entire American region, namely the United States itself, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean Islands. In addition to other matters. I was task to handle issues of Africans in the Diaspora.
What were the issues of Africans in Diaspora that you handled?
They were many. There were those who wanted to return to their motherland. Some wanted to contribute to the continent’s development. Others just wanted to be recognized as sons of the African
continent. For those who went there for greener pastures, their main concern was how to support their families and relatives in Africa to achieve better education, social and economic prosperity. And, therefore, as a representative of AU, it was my duty to make them understand that Africa needs them
and they do also need Africa. I had also to assure them that the AU is aware of the problems they face
in Diaspora and is ready to assist to resolve them and also to help those who would like to return home to do so.
Is there any machinery through which the AU handles Diaspora issues?
Yes. The AU charter has mandated the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) as the body
for Diaspora engagement. This is an elective body, which addresses Diaspora issues through forums
and conferences and files reports to the African Union. There is a department of Diaspora at the AU
headquarters in Addis Ababa, which receives reports from ECOSOCC and present them to the AU Summit meetings.
You are now the Zanzibar Minister of Trade and Industry at a time when industrialization is touted as the means to lift Tanzania to middle economy status. Can you highlight how this objective can be achieved?
Industrialization is key not only for Tanzania, but also for the entire continent of Africa. For us in Zanzibar, we need to have industries that will use primary raw materials which are locally sourced. These could be for food processing, manufacture of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products to support
tourism industry and for export. For Zanzibar as an Island, exportation of marine resources is key in our industrialization agenda. We are working on both fishing and processing of marine products. We
are encouraging sea fish farming to cater for international markets. I would also like to see Zanzibar
fully involved in the Information Technology (IT) industry, both in its use and production of IT devices
locally.
Zanzibar is strategically well placed for import and export trade within East Africa and beyond, and it has the potential of becoming a major global trading hub. This is the dream that I have and I do strongly believe that it can be realized. The second and last term of office for the Zanzibar President,
Dr. Ali Mohamed Sheni is about to come to an end.
What do you have to say about his performance?
What I can say really is that Dr. Sheni has done a lot and I do support him fully for what he’s striving to achieve for the Zanzibar people. He has substantially improved the health and education sectors as
well as other sectors of social and economic development. However, much more remains to be done, and he still has time to address some of the challenges ahead.
In general, Dr. Sheni is a leader who listens to the advice of his subordinates and to the concerns of the Zanzibar people and addresses them immediately. We will remember him for the legacy he will leave behind. He will certainly leave an important mark in the history of Zanzibar and Tanzania.
You have had a considerably long political career, complete with a decade-long stint at the AU Commission. Was this your childhood dream?
To be a politician? Not really. But as a student I was involved in youth political activities with my age mates. Bearing in mind that our independence was achieved through a revolution, I was politically conscious and thus I would attend political meetings and also volunteer for social community work in the rural areas. I did that despite opposition from some members of my family. My focus was on education so that I could serve my nation. My father was quite inspirational to me on this score and I thought it would be rewarding to him if I took medicine and became a doctor.
At one point, I seriously thought of joining the army and become an air force pilot but when I turned up with a friend for an interview, we were rudely told that it was not for women. Despite my passion to be a doctor, the government offered me a scholarship to study food technology in India so I could work in a planned small scale industrial estate. So in 1976, I left for India for a one year diploma course in food technology. I changed the line into economics and indirectly ended up in politics. And with that, your dream to become a doctor melted and neither did you become a food chemist.
When you look back, do you have any regrets?
A good question. I think it would have been a big mistake if I became a medical doctor as I had initially aspired. Whenever I ask myself if I could have become a good doctor, the answer that I get is a no; because I am so soft hearted. I don’t like to see people suffering from anything and especially from diseases.
May be I would have been groomed to become one, but I am not very sure of that. I think that where I am now in my life is the best station for me. My political life gives me a chance to interact with a lot
of people. It gives me a feeling that I can raise my hand to do something for people who ask for my assistance or advice on various social and economic problems. And frankly, that is what I love to do. To listen to and help other people in their daily lives. That’s where my heart is. That is the best for me in this life.
You were born on the day Princess Margaret of United Kingdom visited Zanzibar in 1956 and grew up in the Zanzibar Stone Town. But your father's parents came from Kilwa and Kisiju on the mainland. Now a mother of five. Who do you dedicate your success to?
First of all, I really thank my father and my mother. My mother gave me the spirit of being self reliant.
She gave me inspiration of being the best and believe in myself. Gheda, my mother, was a selfmade
celebrity. She made our family famous because of her wide interaction with people. She taught me the Islam religion and groomed me to be tough. My father also, really loved me because I was his first female child. He gave me whatever I wanted but at the same time he was a disciplinarian and very strict. He paid attention to our education.
Lastly, my success in life has been through education. In that respect, let me say that without my government investing in me, I wouldn’t have achieved the academic credentials I have. So, I attribute my success to my mother, my father and the Zanzibar Government that invested in me. I am proud to be a Tanzanian and a pearl of Zanzibar.
What would you like to tell your fellow women in Tanzania?
Women, have all the potential and opportunity to prosper socially and economically if they disregard the stereotyping that ‘you are a woman and you can’t do this.’ Once they have a goal, they must fight to achieve it. Also they must not forget that we are living in a more competitive world so there are a lot of challenges. To be victorious, you have to excel. You have to be the best. I always believe that nothing else should be for you except the best. So women in Tanzania and especially in Zanzibar, we have to be the best in whatever we do. If you are a government minister, you have to be the best minister. If you are a medical doctor, you have to be the best doctor. Whatever you are doing, be the
best and nothing should be short of that.
And what is your inspiration for the young ones?
I want to tell young women that this is a world for them to aim very highly for their future. My daughter told me one day that she would like to be the Governor of the Central Bank. Due to that
passion, she devoted her time for her ambition and is doing well in economic subjects. She gained a
PHD in International Economics in the USA. And what I have to do as a parent, is to encourage her to realize her dreams. But her success lies in her hands.
So what I am saying here is that every girl, must aspire for something and have an early vision of what she would like to be in her life time. Also, she must strive to accomplish her desired goals; bearing in mind that the sky is the limit.
