Amani Abeid Karume, president of Zanzibar, will arrive in Orangeburg this week to speak at the South Carolina State University commencement ceremony.

The spring commencement will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, May 9, at the Oliver C. Dawson Stadium on campus. More than 460 students are expected to graduate.

Karume is the son of a leading nationalist leader. His father, Abeid Amani Karume, was the leader of the freedom movement in Zanzibar Nation and later Tanzania when he united his nation with Julius Nyerere’s Tanganyika to form the United Republic of Tanzania.

Amani Karume was schooled in the freedom struggle through his association with his father. Thus, it was easy for him to step into the political world.

He was already a seasoned politician in 1990 when he was elected a member of Zanzibar House of Representatives at the age of 42. He was appointed a cabinet minister in the Zanzibar government, leading the trade, industry and marketing portfolio.

At the same time, he was nominated a member of the Tanzania Parliament. In his second term as a representative, he was appointed minister for communications and transport. He rose to become the elected president of Zanzibar in 2000 and re-elected to another five-year term in 2006.

Since assuming the presidency, Karume has engaged himself in the economic and social development of Zanzibar, particularly in education, health and poverty reduction. Under his leadership, Zanzibar has launched an economic growth and poverty reduction strategy with emphasis on education development.

Under his administration, Zanzibar has adopted a universal primary education policy. Through his vision, Zanzibar’s economy and infrastructure development has surpassed many counties in sub-Saharan Africa.

He is vice chairman of the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi. He is also the chancellor of the State University of Zanzibar and is an honorary fellow of the Institute of Engineers of Tanzania.

To learn more about Zanzibar, Amani Karume or S.C. State's commencement ceremony, visit our special page.

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