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Showing posts from August, 2020

Magufuli In Perspective: Why He Is Best Positioned For Re-election

By John Njoroge, SANDTON, SA.  Dr. John Pombe Magufuli of Tanzania As a keen follower of Tanzanian politics, since my days in Nairobi, Kenya, I can attest to have seen so much challenges facing Tanzania's guest for development. As he launched his campaign for reelection in 2020 in the country's Capital Dodoma, Tanzania, on Saturday, President John Pombe Magufuli is believed to be the best positioned Candidate to win the election. He is accredited as a man of reforms. The Mining sector reforms in Tanzania, foristamce ,  just like elsewhere in the world ,  relate to the whole of  natural resources governance and is one of his major scorecards.  According to the OECD (2011) task force  n atural resources report , both renewable and non-renewable,  as well as  ecosystem services are part of the real wealth of nations such that they uniquely form   the natural capital out of which other forms of capital are made.  Government s  and reformist leaders play  a significant  role putting

President Magufuli: A Model Leader in Africa for Employing Science in Politics

By Dr. Richard Bonaventura Mbunda*   Politicians are often derided as liars and unreliable; while politics is equated to a mere game of lies. Some would call it a dirty game. But why is it the case?  Because politicians would promise anything to win votes, and when confronted by the electorate about fulfilling the campaign promises, they would say ‘it is just politics ….’ It is for this reason, the former Soviet Union’s Premier, Nikita Khrushchev opined that “politicians are the same world over: they promise to build a bridge even when there is no river”.  In Africa, the distrust for politicians is overwhelmingly troubling. There is a saying in Africa that ‘if a politician tells to you it is dark outside, go witness it yourself’.   This denigrative attitude and cynicism towards politicians is expressed at the expense the lives of voters. As you and I are aware, in an election, the electorate has a sacrosanct right to rank the candidates by scrutinizing their manifestos so as to elect a

Ethiopia and Côte d’Ivoire delay elections: Is COVID a valid excuse?

By  Kurt Davis Jr. Investment banker Kurt Davis Jr. is an investment banker focused on Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Turkey and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He earned an MBA. in finance, entrepreneurship and operations from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a J.D.. in tax and commercial law at the University of Virginia’s School of Law. He can be reached at kurt.davis.jr@gmail.com.  Posted on Tuesday, 18 August 2020 11:45  A Liberian red cross official takes the temperature of a man before casting his vote, during elections in Monrovia, Liberia on 20 December 2014. (AP Photo/Abbas Dulleh) American President Donald Trump explicitly floated the idea of delaying November’s presidential election by way of a tweet on 30 of July. It did not take long for a barrage of both congressional Democrats and Republicans to publicly rebuke his suggestion. First,  Trump does not have the legal authority to move the date because the power to set the date for v

Protesters On Streets Again On Day of Power Sharing Deal

T housands of protesters took to the streets in Khartoum on Monday, marking a year since a transitional power-sharing deal was struck in Sudan Africa News network reported.  The demonstrators are unsatisfied with the current government and are demanding quickened political reform. It was later reported police fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. The crowds, waving Sudanese flags, gathered outside the Cabinet's headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, to hand over a list of demands, including the formation of a legislative body. Protests last year led to the military overthrow of former autocratic President Omar al-Bashir. A military-civilian government now rules the country. Elections could go ahead in late 2022. Protesters also took to the streets in Khartoum's twin city, Omdurman, and several other cities. Monday's protests marked a year after the generals signed a power-sharing agreement with the Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change, a coalition of opposit

Magufuli’s Dazzling Infrastructure Critical for Socio-Economic Growth, International Competitiveness

By Nyambaliro Masi n de, Nairobi 10-August, 2020:  The  UNITED States Ambassador to  Tanzania, Dr. Donald J. Wright,  admitted that  Tanzania is a country of unbeatable potential and  clearly advised on the need to address critical infrastructure demands. “Tanzania can address critical infrastructure demands such as affordable energy for all and public transportation networks,” he said in a statement that he personally wrote and was released  by the Embassy  to the public.   The new  Envoy,  who had tendered his credentials to the Tanzanian President John Magufuli, was right  on point .   The American Ambassador  promised the President a strong and renewed partnership. This was a blow to some opposition party leaders in Tanzania who , erroneously,   contended  the development of infrastructure was insignificant  but human development . Unfortunately they seem locked in darkness. They do not realize that hard or physical infrastructure goes  in tandem or strategically  with soft infrast