Which way forward for Tanzania since the death of President John Magufuli?

There is this group of African leaders that can be rated among the best that the continent has ever had. They include; Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Congo's PM Patrice Emery Lumumba, Samora Machel of Mozambique, Steve Bantu Biko of South Africa, Amilcar Cabral of Guinea-Bissau and others. John Pombe Magufuli, in the few years that he served as the president of Tanzania, had also proved beyond doubt that he was heaven sent, from the God of Africa.

Tanzanian former president, the late John Pombe Magufuli.

The list of leaders stated above had many things in common, the most important one was the interests of Africa at heart. They had made a decision to uplift Africa and its people against all threats including those aimed at their lives. They were selfless leaders. These leaders had envisioned a new Africa, that which would be self-reliant and a key participant in global affairs. 

Upon coming to power, Magufuli made it his first responsibility to fight corruption and neocolonialism. In this mission, he made enemies as well as friends. Despite the heavy opposition he faced, Magufuli was able to achieve much. In his first term, Tanzania was declared by The World Bank as a middle-income country.

Magufuli was known to be making impromptu visits to government offices and when he noticed any unethical behaviors, he would take action immediately. On his first day in office, BBC reports that the president made an unannounced visit to the finance ministry where he caught many civil servants off-guard.

Some key achievements of President John Magufuli

After becoming president, Magufuli promised the country's most chronic challenges. He began by dealing with corruption cases and making the administrative system of the country responsible. Before that Tanzania had been faced with laxity in public offices, civil servants' absenteeism, ghost workers on payrolls, extravagant spending, and under-performance. 

Magufuli also sought to revise the mining rights of the country. His aim was to give Tanzania a better deal of minerals mined within its borders. At one time he cancelled a contract with a Chinese company terming the proposed deal as 'exploitive'.

He made outstanding developments in infrastructure that includes the building of a 341 km standard gauge railway from Mwanza to Isaka and the building of major highways in the country. His tenure also saw the building of several bus terminus in Dar-e-salaam and the implementation of the rural electrification project that greatly boosted the livelihoods of many Tanzanians. 

Magufuli in the process of launching a power plant at Dar-e-salaam.

Most of his critics do agree that Magufuli was an industrious man. His policies on COVID 19 are what most analysts including some of his supporters disagree with. His death in March 2021 was reported as caused by a long-term heart illness but most people doubt the report. There have also been many allegations about the cause of his death.  

After his death, Mama Samia Suluhu Hassan, the vice president took over giving Tanzania its first female head of state. Most analysts thought that she would keep on with the policies of her predecessor but that is almost the contrary. Her first days in the office were mainly of changing Magufuli's policies, especially on COVID 19. Those who opposed Magufuli think of Samia Suluhu as 'a sigh of relief' from a dictatorial regime.

What are your opinions on the new administration of Tanzania? Tell us in the comment section below.