Stergomena Lawrence Tax appointed as first-ever female Defense Minister of Tanzania

Stergomena Lawrence Tax has been appointed as Tanzania's new Minister of Defence and National Service, on Monday. According to Chinese news agency, Xinhua, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has appointed Tax late on Monday, September 13.

With this, she became country’s first female Defence Minister since independence. According to statement released by Directorate of Presidential Communications at State House, Tax replaced her predecessor Elias Kwandikwa, who died in early August while undergoing treatment in Dar es Salaam.

61-year-old newly appointed Defence Minister h also served as first and only executive secretary of Sourn African Development Community (SC). While working with inter-governmental organization established in 1992, she promoted political, socio-economic, security cooperation and integration among its 16 members.

According to AllAfrica, an online news outlet primarily focused on African continent, Tax was nominated this week to become a Member of Parliament just a few days after she retired from post of Executive Secretary at SC. She h been holding post for last eight years.

Tanzania’s President also reinducts 47-year-old minister January Makamba

Tax, a mor of two children, h also served as Permanent Secretary at Ministry of East African Cooperation from 2008 to 2013. Her appointment has been considered strategically significant as country saw a major gun battle near French Embassy in Dar es Salaam in last month. 

Apart from Stergomena Lawrence Tax, Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan also appointed 47-year-old minister January Makamba. He was dismissed for criticising Samia Suluhu's predecessor. In 2019, Makamba was sacked from government and was forced to apologise to n-president John Magufuli, who passed away in March this year.

(Image: Stergomena Lawrence Tax Twitter)