More women, new faces in Kikwete's cabinet

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

DAR ES SALAAM-- Newly elected Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete announced his cabinet on Wednesday, comprising 29 ministers and 30 deputies. The cabinet has many new faces and the highest number of women the country has had since independence.

"This is a new government, with new goals and that is why we have several new faces. There are, however, several veterans around," Kikwete told a news conference at State House, his first since he was sworn-in as president on 21 December 2005.

The women in the new cabinet are seven ministers and 10 deputy ministers. The previous cabinet had four female ministers.

Among the women holding key positions in the new cabinet are Zakia Meghji, former minister for natural resources and tourism, who becomes the minister for finance, and Asha-Rose Migiro, the new minister for foreign affairs and international cooperation. Migiro was formerly minister for community development, gender and children.

Kikwete also appointed women to head the ministries of education, justice, livestock and community development.

He has restructured several ministries, splitting some, saying it was necessary to give special focus to crucial issues such as water supply, health, education, planning, economy, people's empowerment, agriculture and livestock development.

"Wherever I went during the campaign, water was one of the major concerns in both urban centres and rural areas.

It is an issue that my government pledged to tackle more aggressively despite the fact that heavy investment is required," he said, justifying creation of a ministry to exclusively deal with water.

Explaining the creation of a separate ministry for livestock development, Kikwete said Tanzania had 17 million heads of cattle yet the livestock industry remained underdeveloped.

"We are producing little milk, export very little beef and our livestock keepers roam throughout the country with their animals in search for grazing grounds," he said. "We have to do away with archaic ways of livestock farming. I, therefore, create a separate ministry for livestock development."