Zanzibar President and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi has announced a new 20-member Cabinet as he embarks on his second term in office. The freshly unveiled Cabinet marks an increase from the previous 18 ministries, an expansion that Dr. Mwinyi said it was necessary to address new priorities outlined in the CCM manifesto.
Speaking during a press briefing at State House in Zanzibar today, Dr. Mwinyi explained that the additional ministries were not entirely new creations but reorganized portfolios carved out of existing ones to allow for more efficiency and focus.
One of the major reasons for the restructuring, he said, was to strengthen the government’s ability to pursue a modern, digitally driven public administration. He reminded reporters that during his re-election campaign he had pledged to advance digital transformation across government sectors, a vision that required communication and technology functions to operate as a fully independent ministry.
Dr. Mwinyi went on to reveal the new Cabinet members, naming seasoned politicians and fresh faces to lead key ministries. Among those appointed were Dr. Haroun Ali Suleiman to the President’s Office responsible for constitutional affairs, legal matters, public service and good governance.
Dr. Saada Mkuya Salum was placed in the President’s Office at State House, while Dr. Juma Malik Akil was named Minister of Finance and Planning. Other appointments included Idrissa Kitwana Mustafa to oversee regional administration, local government and special departments; Shariff Ali Shariff to the Labour and Investment docket; and Hamza Hassan Juma to the Second Vice President’s Office. The President also announced Rahma Kassim Ali as Minister of Lands and Housing Development and Lela Muhamed Mussa as Minister of Education and Vocational Training.
Further ministerial posts were filled across youth development, agriculture, water and energy, blue economy, transport, community development, communications, and culture, forming what the President described as a balanced and representative team selected with careful consideration of regional distribution, gender equality and professional competence.
In a significant political gesture, President Mwinyi left four ministerial positions vacant, reserving them for ACT–Wazalendo, the opposition party that shares power with CCM through Zanzibar’s Government of National Unity. He noted that ACT–Wazalendo earned the right to participate in government based on its vote share in the last general election.
The unfilled ministries include the First Vice President’s Office, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Tourism and Heritage, and the Ministry of Trade and Industrial Development. Dr. Mwinyi explained that under the Constitution, these posts can remain vacant for up to 90 days while awaiting the party’s nominees. Tourism, he added, was deliberately reserved for ACT–Wazalendo because of its economic importance to Zanzibar.
Alongside the Cabinet appointments, Dr. Mwinyi also named eleven deputy ministers who will assist in running the government’s expanded portfolio of responsibilities. These deputies were distributed across infrastructure, finance, information, community development, lands, water, agriculture, blue economy, communications, youth development and education.
The President emphasized that the formation of the new Cabinet was guided by considerations of regional balance and the need for each part of Zanzibar to be represented at the highest levels of policymaking. Equally important, he said, was ensuring gender balance and appointing individuals with the professional expertise required to drive Zanzibar’s development agenda in the coming years.
