Unguja. Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) in Zanzibar marked its first week of official campaigns with pledges centred on peace, unity, job creation, and accelerating economic growth.
The ruling party launched its campaigns on September 13 at Mnazimmoja Grounds in Unguja, attracting thousands of supporters.
The following day, CCM presidential candidate Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi met religious leaders and retired party and government elders in Unguja before launching campaigns in Pemba at Gombani ya Kale Grounds, also drawing large crowds.
Dr Mwinyi said the party’s track record over the past five years demonstrated its ability to deliver development and promised “even greater achievements” if re-elected for a second term.
“We will eliminate all forms of discrimination, tribal, religious, racial, or regional, between Pemba and Unguja, or north and south. We pledge to continue promoting peace and unity, as I committed in 2020,” he said.
The CCM candidate outlined 10 key focus areas in the party’s 2025–2030 manifesto, including boosting social services, industrialisation, and agriculture.
He said youth employment would remain a central priority, with the party targeting 350,000 new jobs, adding that the figure could be exceeded through accelerated investment.
“I want to assure the youth: the government will do everything to expand industries, strengthen agriculture, and empower you. Many jobs will be created,” said Dr Mwinyi.
He projected that Zanzibar’s economy, currently growing at 7.4 percent, would reach 10 percent before the end of his next term.
At a campaign stop in Mondo, where he met bodaboda riders, small entrepreneurs, and farmers, Dr Mwinyi pledged to double the Sh96 billion in interest-free loans disbursed in the outgoing term.
He also promised to help motorcycle taxi operators form cooperatives to enable them to own their own bikes.
In Pemba, he unveiled major infrastructure plans, including the construction of a new international airport, expected to begin once the contract is awarded on September 25, and the expansion of Mkoani Port, with Shumba Port also under development.
On cloves, he said his administration would grant farmers land titles to boost ownership and returns, arguing that many had abandoned the crop due to poor benefits.
Meanwhile, CCM Zanzibar Deputy Secretary-General, Dr Mohamed Said Dimwa, said the party was running on a platform of “unity politics and genuine democracy.”
He listed the party’s priorities as strengthening national unity, creating jobs, building food storage facilities, expanding housing and technology, improving waste management, establishing petroleum and diesel reserves, and enhancing investment in tourism through new industrial zones in Unguja and Pemba.
CCM’s campaign has also gained momentum with endorsements from former Zanzibar presidents Amani Karume and Dr Mohamed Shein.
Mr Karume urged members to safeguard their voter cards and turn out in large numbers on polling day, while Dr Shein praised Dr Mwinyi’s first-term performance.
“Dr Mwinyi deserves another chance. His achievements in the past five years show he has the capacity to deliver even more,” Dr Shein said.
He highlighted projects worth $6.2 billion, which he said had created 25,000 jobs, alongside loans of Sh39 billion supporting more than 5,000 low-income earners.
Dr Shein also pointed to progress in the blue economy, which he said had taken root despite early scepticism.
As the campaigns move into their second week, CCM’s central message remains clear: continuity, peace, and prosperity under Dr Mwinyi’s second term.
