Having been thrust further into the wider international spotlight, President Suluhu will also have to address diplomatic challenges that Tanzania experienced during the Magufuli era, including the country’s much-criticised approach to the coronavirus pandemic. President Suluhu has received personal congratulatory messages from, among others, China’s President Xi Jinping, US Vice President Kamara Harris, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former US First Lady, presidential candidate and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, as well as World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Porous borders across the region have seen previous waves of infections quickly spread from country to country. The SGR, pipeline and Stiegler’s Gorge hydropower dam project in southern Tanzania are Magufuli-era projects Ms Suluhu has promised to continue. Many will be watching to see how President Suluhu responds to political intrigue within CCM resulting from Mr Magufuli’s abrupt death and her subsequent elevation as the country’s first female leader.

Source: Daily Nation March 29, 2021 07:12 UTC