Migiro wins praise for plea on quality education in Africa

Arusha. Her storytelling prowess captivated the audience as she shared her academic journey and engagement in diplomacy.

But she was resolute on the need for the African countries to invest in quality education to make the continent more competitive in today’s landscape.

This was the message from Dr Asha-Rose Migiro, the retired diplomat, during her recent address to the academic gurus from the East African region in Nairobi.

The event was hosted at the University of Nairobi to mark the 50th anniversary of the German Academic Exchange Programme (famous as DAAD) in Africa.

Dr Migiro, an academician with roots at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) and a retired diplomat, was one of the beneficiaries of the programme launched in the 1970s.

She was invited as a key speaker for the Golden Jubilee and did not waste time in captivating the audience when she masterfully recounted her own journey.

Her address, nonetheless, underscored the importance of education to all in what she described as today’s competitive landscape in the global village.

For a period of five years (2007 to 2012), she served as the deputy secretary general of the United Nations, the highest rank for a Tanzanian national to serve in the UN system.

In her Nairobi address, she passionately linked sustainable development and the empowerment of women and girls within the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“She seamlessly portrayed her dual roles as a pedagogue and a diplomat,” said Mr Raymond Maro, a Dar es Salaam-based consultant on Africa regional integration.

He told The Citizen on phone yesterday that Dr Migiro won the hearts of all the dignitaries who attended the event for her dedication.

Those in attendance included senior executives from DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) and the leading universities in the region, including UDSM.

The East African Community (EAC) was represented by Prof Gaspard Banyankimbone, the executive secretary of the Kampala-based Inter University Council of East Africa (IUCEA).

He described Dr Migiro,who before venturing in politics and diplomacy was a law lecturer, as an outstanding scholar with rich linguistic versatility.

She excited the large audience at Kenya’s premier university with her proficiency in English, Kiswahili, French and German; the latter being her language of study in Germany in the late 1980s.

She retired from the public service in September this year with her immediate tour of duty being the country’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ireland.

“She is reckoned as the longest serving Tanzania’s envoy in the UK,” Mr Maro said, noting that London has always been a key diplomatic outpost for the country.

In her address at Nairobi, Dr Migiro challenged the African countries to utilise “transformative power of education” to contribute to national development.

Mr Maro further said Dr Migiro has not merely left the scene through her retirement but has “left an indelible mark as a diplomat of substance”.

She had been a trailblazer advocating positive change, he said.

Dr Migiro’s excitement stemmed from her tenure at the deputy SG of the UN, being the first African woman. She was commended for her personal approach to global health issues.

Some Burundians praised her unyielding commitment to peace and justice during her time at the UN.