Mahmoud Thabit Kombo – Minister of Foreign Affairs

Mahmoud Thabit Kombo currently serves as Tanzania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, a role he assumed in July 2024. Before this, he has held diplomatic and governmental positions both domestically and abroad, including serving as Tanzania’s Ambassador to Rome, Italy, since May 2021. Kombo’s political career in Zanzibar includes appointments as Minister for Tourism, Heritage and Information from 2017 to 2020, and Minister for Health from 2013 to 2017 under the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar.

Kombo’s academic background covers international relations, diplomacy, and telecommunications. He holds an Executive Master’s Degree in International Relations, Diplomacy, and Security from the Geneva School of Diplomacy, a Higher National Diploma in Telecommunications Management from Cable and Wireless College, Coventry, UK, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Computing and Business Administration from the University of Sunderland. His professional skills include operations and IT management, ICT project management, international relations, and diplomacy.