Shakeup at Tanzania's Energy ministry as government battles power crisis
What you need to know:
- Dr James Mataragio is the new Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Energy.
- He is replacing Mr Athumani Mbuttuka whose appointment has been rescinded.
Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan has made some changes to her lineup of senior officials at the Ministry of Energy as her government battles a countrywide power crisis.
In the latest development, President Hassan named former Managing Director for Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC), Dr James Mataragio as the Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Energy.
He is replacing Mr Athumani Mbuttuka whose appointment has been rescinded.
"Dr Mataragio....is replacing Mr Athumani Selemani Mbuttuka whose appointment has been rescinded and he will be assigned other tasks," reads a State House statement, signed by the director of Presidential Communications, Ms Zuhura Yunus.
Mr Mbuttuka formerly worked as Deputy Auditor General at the National Audit Office of Tanzania (NAOT) but in 2018, he was named the Treasury Registrar by former President John Magufuli.
The new changes at the Energy Ministry have come barely six months since President Hassan named a new energy minister in her cabinet reshuffle.
In August, last year, President Hassan named Dr Doto Biteko as the new Energy minister, replacing January Makamba who was moved to the Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation docket.
Tanzania has been battling an electricity crisis since mid last year due to a reduction in production at its hydropower plants.
