Samia Suluhu Hassan’s sudden emergence as Tanzania’s third Muslim and first woman president has brought global attention to her nation of 60 million. Of course, women in Tanzanian politics is nothing new and Hassan stands on the shoulders of the likes of Bibi Titi Mohammed, a freedom fighter in the country’s struggle for independence, and Lucy Lameck, who became the first woman to hold a cabinet position in Tanzania’s government in 1967. Within the wider African context, Hassan’s new position is more evolution than revolution. Her presidency comes as more and more women are becoming heads of states around the world, with Africa being no exception. Four of Tanzania’s immediate neighbors have had female heads of state, while Ethiopia currently has a woman president in Sahle-Work Zewde. However, Ethiopia’s presidency is largely ceremonial. The Tanzanian presidency is the center of the executive branch of the country. John Magufuli, from whom Hassan inherited the role last month following his sudden death in office, had further centralized power in the presidency after first winning the office in 2015. East Africa and the world are closely watching her presidency to see what style she governs in. American Vice President Kamala Harris has taken a special interest in Hassan and tweeted personal congratulations to her. Magufuli was known on the international stage for his combative views regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Earlier this year, he flatly said that “vaccines don’t work,” earning a rare rebuke for a sitting head of state from the World Health Organization. The row over COVID-19 was the most public of several spats between Tanzania and the international community during Magufuli’s presidency. Hassan will have three years to craft her own vision for the country before deciding if she will seek direct election to the presidency. One of her goals should be direct re-engagement on a global stage, something that her predecessor shunned. While in office, Magufuli never traveled outside of Africa as a cost-saving measure. Instead, he often sent Hassan as his trusted representative. Given her globe-trotting and her study at the University of Manchester in the UK in the early 1990s, she might be just the president Tanzania needs to re-engage with the international community. All politics is local, the saying goes. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has served as a reminder that some policy problems must be solved at the global level. As a native of Zanzibar, Hassan is well aware of the centuries of trade and other exchanges that have linked her nation with Middle Eastern and Indian Ocean nations. Perhaps as much as 40 percent of the vocabulary of Swahili, the language of the East African community, consists of Arabic words. It is also sprinkled with loan words from half a dozen other international languages. As president, Hassan can strengthen and build new economic ties between her nation and businesses around the globe. Greater economic integration within the East African community also makes more sense than ever. Magufuli placed more emphasis on state-run investments and a number of projects were assigned to military-owned enterprises in recent years as economic growth slowed. Under his watch, Tanzania was reclassified as a lower-middle income country by the World Bank, an important achievement. However, with tourism arrivals down due to COVID-19 and with the forecast for the international price of many minerals to be choppy in the near future, Hassan may do well to return to a more private sector-based growth model. One of Hassan’s goals should be direct re-engagement on a global stage, something that her predecessor shunned. Joseph Hammond Hassan’s leadership style differs dramatically from her predecessor, who earned the nickname “The Bulldozer” due to his combative style. She speaks softly and listens carefully before making decisions. What Tanzania needs at present isn’t a bulldozer to knock things down, but a forklift to raise the country back to its rightful place in the region and on the world stage. Joseph Hammond is a journalist and former Fulbright Public Policy fellow with the government of Malawi. Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News" point-of-view