In very shocking and dramatic circumstances, Tanzania lost a great African leader, President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli, whose marvellous contributions are difficult to match particularly transforming an African country to a middle-income economy in less than 5 years. A former STEM teacher, he championed gender equity and picked a woman deputy long before America had a female vice president and made education free. He was a Forbes person of the year.
By Professor Chris Imafidon – In the first year of Magufuli’s presidency, this exemplary life earned him a great deal of praise, inspiring the social media hashtag: #WhatWouldMagufuliDo. In fact, Dr Magufuli won winning the pres tigious Forbes Africa person of the year award – for “boosting Tanzania’s economy”
In 2017, a Kenyan professor went so far as to call for the “Magufulication” of Africa during an address at the University of Dar es Salaam.
A Chemist by training, Dr. John Magufuli became the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, and was dubbed the Bulldozer. His mantra of Hapa Kazi Tu (Work is My Only Focus). He was awarded a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Dar-es-Salaam and also studied at Britain’s University of Salford.
CHARACTER
President Magufuli was a very honest and humble man who shunned meaningless ceremony to focus on the needs of his nation and Africa at large. Staunch defender of African values and priorities
Even his critics celebrate the fact that Magufuli contributed hugely to Tanzania’s development. He invested in several large infrastructure projects such as the creation of a standard gauge railway to connect the country with its regional neighbours, the expansion of major highways, and the construction of a bus rapid transit system in the commercial hub of Dar es Salaam. He re-started the government owned and operated national airline, Air Tanzania. He also increased electric power production to the national grid this alleviated the need for power rationing.
FREE EDUCATION FOR ALL
President Magufuli, a former Science and Mathematics teacher, was uncompromising with developing the next generation of talents and realising geniuses, irrespective of social-economic backgrounds. For example, the number of students who join secondary schools has increased from 56% in 2015 to an impressive 87.7% in 2020. He moved resources to provide free education, enhance remuneration for teachers and other public servants. In 2015, Magufuli’s government abolished fees for public secondary schools, which led to a surge in enrolment and increased the transition from primary to secondary education, which was low before free secondary schooling.
COMBATING CORRUPTION
President John Magufuli’s image as a corruption fighter has captivated all blacks especially neighbouring Kenyans who suggested that Mr Kenyatta’s government should get tips from Tanzania.
On John Magufuli’s first day as Tanzania’s president, he created a storm on social media by making an unannounced visit to the finance ministry, catching the workers off-guard, and identifying ghost-workers. During that visit to the finance ministry, he reportedly asked after those who were not at their desks – a subtle message that he would not tolerate the legendary absenteeism of government workers. Unexpected presidential visits of government offices became a trademark, meant to instil discipline and accountability. Perhaps one of his most effective acts was leading the country in cleaning the streets on Independence Day.
ECONOMIC MIRACLE – NATIONAL PROSPERITY & WEALTH
In just five years of his leadership, the Magufuli administration accelerated Tanzania to achieve its goal of transforming his country from being a low-income to a middle-income economy country 5 years earlier than projected. The World Bank Report of July 2020 declared Tanzania a middle-income country with per capita GNI of USD 1,121 way up from USD 992 of the per capita GNI recorded in 2015. The interesting this about this miracle is that the social and economic projects were largely financed by domestic resources,
Dr Magufuli widened the tax base and implemented measures to ensure tax compliance across micro, small, and medium businesses. He ensured that the Debt to Gross Domestic Product ratio under 40 percent, until it became the lowest in the countries of East African.
From his first week in office in November 2015, President Magufuli stopped all foreign trips for public servants and transferred approval of these trips directly to his office or head of civil service. This move helped save the country $430m between November 2015 to November 2016, according to a central bank report in early 2017. This economic miracle continues despite the ill-advised European Union stance, stopping financial support to Tanzania.
NATURAL RESOURCES
With minerals in Tanzania contributing about 4 per cent to the GDP, Magufuli concentrated his attention to the minerals industry. Initially by changing the mining minister and chief of the State-run mineral audit agency following an inquiry that showed that Acacia mining – one of the country’s largest mineral export company was under-declaring the mineral exports. The company was later given a $190m tax bill for historic income tax covering 17 years. Even though the company ended up paying $300m to the Tanzanian government to settle all disputes, the radical changes in the mineral sector was the beginning of sweeping reforms.
The National Assembly later passed three Bills which overhauled Tanzania’s mining policy regime. The reforms included an increase in the royalty rate on gold from 4 to 6 per cent, a government stake of 16 per cent share in mining companies without compensation, and local content regulation requiring at least 20 per cent of the mining company operating in Tanzania owned by Tanzanian citizens. These reforms yielded immediate dividends and increased the mineral sector contribution to GDP 2018/2019 to 5 per cent from about 4 per cent in 2016/2017.
RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND ELECTRIFICATION
President Magufuli focused on the rural population, particularly rural electrification project. His administration increased the production of electric power from MW 1,308 as recorded in 2015 to MW 1,602.32 as per 2020 statistics. He also ensured that there is the supply of such an important energy source in rural areas at a relatively low cost. It is a matter of fact that in 2015 only 2,081 villages had electricity supply. But in 2020, the Magufuli administration has increased the supply of electricity to 9,112 villages. Electricity is core to the formation and operation of cottage industries, which are key to entrepreneurship, leading to national transformation.
MODEL VS PERSONAL STYLE
He is very direct and un-bureaucratic. Some refer to this characteristic as “interventionist” – or “hands-on” style. This made him popular with other Africans, outside his beloved Tanzania, particularly in the East African region, where he inspired the #WhatWouldMagufuliDo social media hashtag, praising his no-nonsense approach to fighting corruption and tirelessly following up infrastructure projects. Many observers were delighted with his results in service delivery and Magufuli’s populist governing style was effective and a model for other African leaders.
Shortly after taking office in late 2015, he cancelled the ceremonial Independence Day festivities and directed all the funds budgeted for the event to be used to widen a part of a highway at Ubungo that was infamous for gridlocks in the major city of Dar-es-Salaam.
HEALTH
The health sector was dilapidated from the infrastructures and facilities to the availability of medicine, equipment, and services. During Magufuli’s administration, 71 new hospitals, 487 health centers, and 1,198 were constructed in order to bring the services close to the citizens. Significantly, the Government increased the health budget to boost the availability of medicine in health centers from 57% in 2015 to 94.4% in 2020.
Due to massive investments in major and minor projects in the water sector, water services was transformed in rural areas. It improved from 47 percent in 2015 to 70.1 in 2020 while in urban areas water availability has increased from 74 percent in 2015 to 84 percent in 2020.
COVID CONFUSION
President Magufuli, a former chemistry and Mathematics teacher, based his views on the current pandemic after an experiment which returned positive coronavirus tests for pawpaw fruits, a goat and a sheep. The scientist in him made him to query every received wisdom and conspiracy theories on the disease and its management of treatment. Due to his independent scientific mind and other scientific studies, Magufuli refused to put Tanzania under WHO Covid-19 flawed guidelines. Instead, he encouraged Tanzania’s scientists to investigate Madagascar’s traditional Vaccine for with showed initial promise of antiviral properties against Covid-19.
PRACTICAL PRESIDENT – HANDS-ON
He also removed many thousands of so-called “ghost workers”. He could not tolerate the corrupt practices where non-existent government employees received salaries from the public payroll. Any officials found to be corrupt or under-performing were immediately lost their jobs. Sometimes this was even done live on television.
And he reduced extravagant spending, cancelling Independence Day celebrations for the first time in 54 years. Rather involve in needles ceremonies, he championed a public clean-up, and personally got his hands dirty by picking up rubbish outside State House.
Tanzanians will not forget his characteristically lengthy road trips which he embarked on from city to city which involved many stop-overs so he could interact with ordinary members of the public.
These mobile town-hall visits unnerved government officials, were often broadcast live on TV and became loved by citizens because they saw opportunities to get instant redress to their problems. To others, it was chance to ask him direct questions, but most people used the opportunity to plead with the president to intervene on a many local or personal issues such as completing delayed road projects, unending court cases, queries about water supply, or complaints against local officials.
CONCLUSION
Finally, his historic achievements provides a firm foundation for the country’s lasting economic transformation. Dr John Magufuli has left a lasting legacy and a very strong message that, anyone can do so much in just five years with inspirational leadership.
He delighted numerous individuals and institutions for transforming the country to a middle-income nation, expanding free education, rural electrification and investing in infrastructure projects such as railways, a hydropower dam set to double electricity output and the revival of the national airline.
There are many achievements that President Magufuli recorded during his five-year term, including the resumption of the national carrier, expansion of the airport, power distribution, improvement in public transport among others.
His government passed a raft of laws to increase Tanzania’s stake in its mineral resources and received millions in back taxes from foreign mining companies.
Professor Chris Imafidon, is a multi-Guinness World record holder; world renowned adviser to monarchs, governments, presidents and corporate leaders; Mentor to New York Times Bestellers and a Sunday Times Op-ed author. [Twitter @ChrisImafidon; Instagram @CoImafidon; Facebook/Linkedln –Professor Chris Imafidon
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