Stergomena Tax

Stergomena Lawrence Tax (born 6 July 1960) is Tanzania's minister of Defence and National Service the first woman to hold the title since the country’s independence. She was previously the Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation. Before that she served as the executive secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).^[1][2][3]

Stergomena Tax
Minister of Defence and National Service
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 September 2023
President	Samia Suluhu
Prime Minister	Kassim Majaliwa
Preceded by	Innocent Bashungwa
In office 13 September 2021 – 3 October 2022
President	Samia Suluhu
Prime Minister	Kassim Majaliwa
Preceded by	Elias John Kwandikwa
Succeeded by	Innocent Bashungwa
Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation
In office 3 October 2022 – 31 August 2023
President	Samia Suluhu
Prime Minister	Kassim Majaliwa
Preceded by	Liberata Mulamula
Succeeded by	January Makamba
4th Executive Secretary of SADC
In office September 2013 – 15 August 2021
Preceded by	Tomaz Salomão
Succeeded by	Elias Mpedi Magosi
Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of East African Cooperation
In office November 2008 – August 2013
President	Jakaya Kikwete
Succeeded by	Joyce Mapunjo
Personal details
Born	(1960-07-06) 6 July 1960 (age 65) Magu, Mwanza, Tanganyika
Nationality	Tanzanian
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Dar es Salaam University of Tsukuba

Early life

Tax was educated at a number of primary schools in Tanzania and at Lake Secondary School in Mwanza where she was a contemporary of Tanzanian fifth president John Magufuli.^[4]

She obtained her Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance from the University of Dar es Salaam in 1991. She thereafter obtained a Master of Philosophy in Policy Management and Development Economics and a Doctor of Philosophy in International Development from the University of Tsukuba in Japan.

Career

She served as the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of East African Cooperation from 2008 to 2013, when she was appointed as the Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community at the 33rd Summit of the Heads of State and Government in Lilongwe, Malawi.

In August 2021, she was replaced by Elias Mpedi Magosi as secretary of SADC. On 10 September 2021, she was nominated Member of Parliament by President Samia Suluhu Hassan. On 12 September 2021, she was appointed Minister of Defence.^[5][6] On 3 October 2022, she was appointed minister of foreign affairs.^[7] On 1 September 2023, following another cabinet reshuffle, she resumed her previous docket as Minister of Defence and National Service.^[8]