Stergomena Tax

The Honorable Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax is the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation in Tanzania. She was previously Minister of Defence and National Service, the first woman to hold the title since the country’s independence. She was nominated as a Member of Parliament by President Samia Suluhu Hassan in 2021. She served as the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of East African Cooperation when she was appointed as the Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). As the 1st female SADC Executive Secretary, she successfully led the revision of SADC Regional Integration Strategic Development Plan, SADC Industrialization Strategy and Road Map 2015-2063; and SADC conflict resolution and mediation processes.