Commonwealth Secretary-General meets Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan

The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, The Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland QC met with the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan, today in Zanzibar for the first time.

Secretary-General Scotland is conducting her first official visit to Tanzania since 2017 and since President Hassan’s inauguration.  She will be in the country from 4th to 7th May 2022.

“It’s such a pleasure and honour to meet President Samia Suluhu Hassan today in beautiful Zanzibar. We discussed the many ways in which the Commonwealth Secretariat is here to support Tanzania in revitalising tourism post-pandemic and the technical assistance and peer-to-peer learning that we offer on protecting our oceans, youth and gender empowerment, supporting small businesses, growing trade opportunities and access to climate finance. I look forward to seeing President Hassan next month in Kigali at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM2022) that I’m pleased to say she plans to attend in person.”

During today’s meeting, President Hassan expressed her interest in capacity building and technical toolkits offered by the Commonwealth Secretariat and programmes such as the Commonwealth Blue Charter, the Commonwealth Says No More campaign and the Climate Finance Access Hub.

This week, Secretary-General Scotland will also be meeting the Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr Philip Isdor Mpango. In her discussion with the Vice President, she intends to discuss strategies for protecting the environment, climate change, debt sustainability and more.

Notes to Editors

• The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent and equal sovereign states. Our combined population is 2.5 billion, of which more than 60 per cent is aged 29 or under.
• The Commonwealth spans the globe and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. Thirty-two of our members are small states, many of which are island nations.
• The Commonwealth Secretariat supports member countries to build democratic and inclusive institutions, strengthen governance and promote justice and human rights. Our work helps to grow economies and boost trade, deliver national resilience, empower young people, and address threats such as climate change, debt and inequality.
• Member countries are supported by a network of more than 80 intergovernmental, civil society, cultural and professional organisations.