Exceptional Leadership; The Reason Why Tanzania Became Middle Income Economy Ahead of Schedule

By Nyambarilo Masinde, Nairobi 8th July, 2020: TANZANIA has proved it. It is now one of the two East Africa’s Middle Income Countries. The other one is Kenya. Decades after its independence, the Singaporean First Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, rapidly led his country from low-income to a high income country. In his three decades as Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lee turned Singapore from a third world to the first world nation. Like Magufuli’s case, the secret is hidden in leadership abilities. In this world, it is the leadership that truly matters and Tanzania got it right this time with Magufuli. Therefore, the core reason is clearer in practice than in business books. It is President John Pombe Magufuli’s uniquely strong leadership abilities that made Tanzania a middle income nation ahead of scheduled. “Today, the World Bank has declared Tanzania Middle Income Country. In this regard, I congratulate all my compatriots for this historic achievement. We had envisaged achieving this status by 2025 but, with strong determination, this has been possible in 2020. GOD BLESS TANZANIA,” President Magufuli wrote on twitter. In its National Development Vision 2025, Tanzania had envisioned to attain this developmental goal five years away today. It was not the case. On July 1, 2020, the World Bank declared Tanzania a middle income country. Tanzania was elevated to lower-middle income category and its Growth National Income (GNI) capital was increased to US$1,080. GNI is the total earned income of a country's residents. The Tanzania leader’s prowess is comparative to the Singapore’s Lee who led Singapore to top one of the three non-west countries which triumphantly entered into the first world bracket. Singapore was ahead of the three in terms of Human Development Index (HDI) and Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). Tanzania’s President John Pombe Magufuli has proved it. It is the leadership that matters. Tanzania is now economically born again nation. It is now clear that poor leadership is what makes most African countries lag behind, Magufuli’s reforms can prove. As Bangladesh stands in a line to become a lower middle income country in 2021, Magufuli’s gifted hand leaps Tanzania from a low income country to a middle income country five years ahead of schedule. It was not easy. Dr. Magufuli, a no non-sense leader had to withstand critics and threats of different magnitude to get these results. True leaders are results oriented. The threats did not derail him from the mission. He focused on the finishing line. He did not pay attention to the naysayers as all strong reformist leaders like Lee Kuan Yew do, he concentrated on implementing the reforms he initiated the next hour after he was sworn in as Tanzania’s fifth President. It is not that he does not want to enjoy the beauty of traveling abroad and sightseeing, no. Like all resilient reformist leaders, he considered his time to transform his motherland was too little too late to continuing hovering in poverty and inefficiency in a country rich in natural resources. In only four years, the Tanzanian leader who clearly wins this October 25 General Elections for his second term, had accomplished what others would have taken 30 years. It was not an easy road though. Any successful change requires a special person. Africa needs to learn this. Dr. Magufuli was a man of the time. As the holy books say, there is time for everything; Tanzania had put in office a man of the time to unleash reformations which would make the country go into history books for generations as it crossed the bracket of middle income countries, five years ahead of time. Magufuli, Architect of Tanzania’s Modern Day Reforms Former President Jakaya Kikwete and his party politburo needed a tough man for the tough job, to implement the reforms which would transform Tanzania into a middle income country. The man of the moment was Dr. Magufuli, fortunately, he has far exceeded the expectations of those had faith in him. Today, the loss making state corporate were profitable, delivery of social services is improved tremendously, civil servants served diligently and were accountable to the people unlike it was any time before. Efficiency could be seen across the country, ghost workers were uprooted, Tax collections reached a record high than any other time ever, corruption has been crashed, mineral policy reforms tripled the revenues, and world class infrastructure is rising all over the country. The locally collected revenues finances large scale public investments in the country; Tanzania is constructing a standard gauge railway (SGR), road networks, transport and transportation which include air and marine transport and construction of an HEP dam for 2,150M. The budget for the health sector has been increased from TSh 30 Billion in 2015 to over TSh 270 Billion per year in 2020. A total of 352 health centers and 69 hospitals were constructed in just four years. All essential drugs are available for more than 95 per cent. This further enhances living standards of the Tanzanians. In all public schools from primary to secondary schools, school fees were abolished. Higher education loans have been expanded to accommodate more students. The industries continue to mushroom, increasing production of various economic goods and services. The country’s culture is rapidly changing. Dissimilar to the past, there is increasingly passion for work. Most young people, for the first time in decades, are confident about their future and continue to be more patriotic. Competitive economy Dr. Magufuli’s reforms resulted in a strong, diversified, resilient and competitive economy which continues to cope with development challenges. More and more world nations continue to solidify their trust in trading with Tanzania, a country that seeks to grow its economy by day. The country enhances its science and technology capability to meet its industrial development needs. Tanzania is one of the five fastest growing economies in Africa. Peace, Stability and Unity Tanzania has always been stable. It has been the beacon of peace, stability and unity in the region. In 2019 and 2020 Global Peace Index (GPI) reports, Tanzania continued to be the most peaceful nation in East Africa. Many foreign direct investments flock in the country because of, among other things, its peace and stability card. Tanzania has always been peaceful and this is one of the factors which propelled it to cross over the countries with middle income. Dr. Magufuli has been awarded leadership awards, notably in 2019, London’s African Leadership Magazine (ALM) named him 2018 Person of the Year in Political Leadership. Various political and business leaders have been calling on active African political leaders to emulate him. Thabo Mbeki, former South African President and Mark Bristow, Barrick President and Chief Executive Officer were some of the leaders who said Dr. Magufuli was exemplary. IMF, WHO and WORLD BANK approves him IMF, WHO and the World Bank, have on several occasions differed with Dr. John Pombe Magufuli and later accepts Magufuli’s line of thinking. He sees things which these institutions come to see much later. In the worlds of a Kenyan analyst, “Many world leaders climb a tree to see what Magufuli sees sitting down.” Africa Report Magazine says Magufuli is Examplary WITHOUT alluding directly to Tanzania’s historic reforms in the mineral sector, the June, 2020 version of the Africa Report Magazine, honors the country’s reformist President John Magufuli as, “an example,” in the continent that pants for reforms for world class performance. President Magufuli, nicknamed, “the bulldozer,” is widely accredited for pioneering a deep and wide ranging reform programme in his country, the first of its kind since Nyerere laid the first brick on the bedrock of Tanganyika, currently East Africa’s largest nation. President Magufuli’s reforms which saw Tanzania crossing over to the other side of the middle income nations five years before schedule were made possible because of his unique leadership abilities. It is because of the above reasons, the Tanzanians were happy to vote in Magufuli for his second term in which he is expected to scoop landslide in this October 25 Elections. ends