President Maguful Hero, Best African Leader of 21st Century

The man who rules well is worthy of double honor. Dr John Magufuli was that man. Dr Magufuli was and continues to be our Hero. He was not just an African leader; he was the leader of Africans. President Magufuli’s mission was to ensure that the resources of Tanzania benefited Tanzanians as this was their birthright.

The barometer by which we measure the effectiveness of a leader is by their ability to deliver wealth, power, and influence to their people. To answer the question, are you better now than when that leader came to power? Have you delivered more wealth for the indigenous African citizens? Do you have more power to secure the homeland?

Under Magufuli’s illustrious economic leadership The Tanzanian GDP grew at an enormous rate 7%, a reflection of strong leadership. President Magufuli’s vision focused on development of mining and telecoms the biggest drivers of economic activity in Tanzania to create the wealth of that nation.

 Mining and Telecoms account for 4% of Tanzania’s GDP. To create wealth for Africans Magufuli mandated that the companies that operate in Tanzania list on the Tanzanian Stock Exchange. This bold action allowed Tanzanians to share in the profits. Since profits were made and spent in Tanzania it grew the economy rapidly. During the tenure of Dr. John Tanzania moved to middle income status. Now that is what you call leadership. Spearheading sovereign wealth for Tanzanians. President Magufuli was uncompromising in putting Tanzanian interests at the forefront of everything he did.

  A strong economy means a strong nation and John delivered a 10 out of 10. He is the only leader on the African continent who transformed his nation from a third world to a second world nation. That ladies and gentlemen is economic empowerment. Under Magufuli’s leadership, Tanzania has collected 50% more taxes from foreign tax evaders and increased the government’s revenue base. Revenue is important to fund infrastructure projects. Several foreign companies have been busted by custom officials trying to expropriate minerals and not paying taxes. Tax evasion alone costs Tanzania billions of dollars and impedes development.

Powernomics: Defender of Tanzanian Wealth

Ever since he became President, he has worked to improve the country’s tax system so that Tanzania can reduce its dependency on aid and debt which rob Africans of autonomy to make their own decisions. Magufuli informed foreign investors doing business in Tanzania that their contracts will be re-evaluated to ensure that the terms line up with Tanzanian interests.

China for example mandates that all businesses have 51% Chinese ownership, and this has created new wealth for the Chinese and approximately 750 million Chinese have been lifted out of poverty. In addition, Magufuli raised mining royalties from 4-6% to defend African interests. To put this in context Donald Trump raised royalties for the aerospace industry by 98%.

 In 2017, President Magufuli secured the perimeter around wall 24km (14-mile) around the Merelani mining site in Manyara. This government policy created licenses for small scale Tanzanian miners to participate in this profitable mining sector. Mining is one of the biggest economic drivers in Tanzania. In 2018, the Tanzanian government reported remarkable increase in revenue because Tanzanian mine owners kept the profits in Tanzania.

For the first time Tanzanians have access to real revenue generating assets through ownership of their natural resources. By establishing local mining markets in Manyara with access to global markets Tanzanians got better prices for their minerals. The local markets eliminated the middlemen allowing African miners to get their minerals worth. The impact of Magufuli’s mining ownership resulted in subsidiary businesses built around mining. This was a great win for Africans as they create a culture of wealth creation and ownership.

Tanzanians can answer yes to the question are you better now than before Magufuli took office. History will judge President Magufuli well because the most important job a President or head of nation is to secure the homeland through wealth and power. A strong economy enables any nation to defend its citizen’s human rights. Poor nations cannot defend human rights and have to rely on others to protect them. We all know freedom is not free.

Dr John Magulfuli the bulldozer tore down poverty and elevated Tanzanian wealth. The results of his leadership are more power, wealth and influence for ordinary Tanzanians.  He will be greatly missed by Tanzania and the entire African continent.