Sungi
Senior Member
- Apr 29, 2009
- 149
- 47
After 10 years of rise of cost of living, energy crisis and political scandals, it is time to have a breath of fresh air. Dr. Anna Tibaijuka, who is currently the Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT]the first African woman elected by the UN General Assembly as Under-Secretary-General of a United Nations programme, the former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-HABITAT is a perfect choice to become the 5th President of the United Republic of Tanzania. As minister of lands, she has proved that she is a good executive and manager. She has turned around a ministry that was marred with corruption and mismanagement. In her current position, Dr. Tibaijuka has proved to be a visionary and steadfast leader who can make tough DECISIONS.
Prior to her political and United Nations portfolios, Dr. Tibaijuka was a Professor of Economics at the University of Dar es Salaam. She is the author of various books and research papers on agriculture and rural development, farming systems, food policy, agricultural marketing and trade, sustainable development, social services delivery, gender and land issues, and environmental economics. She was an active member of the civil society and the womens movement. In 1994 she founded the Tanzanian National Womens Council, BAWATA, an independent non-party affiliated organization fighting for womens economic and social rights. In 1996 she founded Barbro Johannson Girls Education Trust (Joha Trust) that advocates for quality girls education in Tanzania and Africa and operates a model secondary school for poor girls, mostly orphans. She is patron of Tanzania Young Entrepreneurs Initiative. She is a member of various professional associations and is a veteran of UN world summits, including the Beijing Womens Conference, the Copenhagen Social Summit, Habitat II at Istanbul, and the Food Summit in Rome. She is winner of several awards including honorary Doctorate degrees conferred by the University of McGill in Canada, University College London, and Herriot Watt in Scotland. She is a Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture. She is a widow with 5 children, one of whom is adopted.
By electing Dr. Tibaijuka as President (if she runs), Tanzania will be making history as electing the first woman president of our republic and a breath of fresh political air.