Prime
The tasks ahead of new Foreign Affairs Minister
January Makamba
What you need to know:
- Mr January Makamba takes over at the Foreign Affairs ministry, which is facing numerous challenges and a barrage of criticism for underperfomances, including the recent tongue-lashing from Head of State herself
Arusha. Mr January Makamba will today take oath as the new Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, aware of the huge task awaiting him.
He is taking over in the powerful docket which has lately been a subject to a barrage of criticisms from, among others, President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Mr Makamba is among several newly appointed ministers, deputy ministers permanent secretaries and deputy permanent secretaries appointed on Wednesday and who will be sworn in by President Hassan in Zanzibar today.
He is the third minister to hold the docket under the administration of President Hassan, who took over on March 19, 2021 after the demise of Dr John Pombe Magufuli.
Mr Makamba’s predecessors were Ms Liberata Mulamula, who was appointed in May 2021, followed by Dr Stergomena Tax, who served from October 2022 to Wednesday.
Mr Makamba's entry, however, came only two weeks after President Hasssan opened up on the performance of some of the country's diplomatic missions abroad.
The Head of State said mid last month (August) that she was appalled to find out that some of the country's envoys were not aware of their responsibilities.
Besides those who seem to be unaware of their tasks, others would seem busy only when a home delegation is visiting their stations or during the holidays of a host country.
The President who was swearing in newly appointed envoys said underperformance of Tanzanian diplomats had also been reported to her by leaders of some host nations.
This was not the first time that the Head of State had openly made public her concern on underperformance by key officials of the Foreign Affairs ministry.
In March this year, she formed a committee to look into the performance of the ministry in yet another attempt to rejuvenate the country's foreign policy.
Analysts believe that previous isolationist tendencies are likely to have damaged Tanzania’s diplomatic standing in the international community.
One of the tasks of the committee was to assess the performance of the ministry in delivering results on economic diplomacy and on international relations generally.
The committee comprised, among others, the eminent and retired diplomats. Scholars said it reflected blunders that had reigned on the country's international relations.
The President was trying to restore Tanzania’s foreign policy which, according to them, remains key to each country in attracting external funding and investments.
“The Foreign Affairs ministry is key to creating an enabling environment for other sectors to attract funding and investments,” said Prof Abel Kinyondo, a development economist.
The President's decision to rejuvenate the ministry also came at a time when geopolitical power dynamics were changing with huge impacts on the global economy.
Wednesday's Cabinet reshuffle, entry of Mr Makamba and the President's remark that she was passionate about the EAC is enough sign the committee had done its job.
This was the third reshuffle in President Hassan’s Cabinet line up since she took over office but on which she spoke out loud on her desire on Foreign Affairs docket.
Also read: Foreign policy review: A reset button?-I
The president announced a seasoned diplomat, Prof Kennedy Godfrey Gastorn, as a second permanent secretary to the ministry who will be dedicated to the EAC.
That means Mr Makamba's entry into the docket will come along with getting rid of the rot that has plagued the country's number one diplomatic institution.
In many countries, the ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral and multilateral relations.
The entity is usually headed by a foreign minister who typically reports to the Head of Government such as Prime Minister or President depending on the governance system in place.
The new holder of the Foreign Affairs docket has a challenging task when he reports at the ministry given the way the President has been dismayed by its dismal performance.
He has to spearhead the reforms that will make the ministry to deliver and hence erase the negative image the country has suffered due to isolationist tendencies which do more harm than good.
But Mr Makamba will enter the new docket with a track record in his previous Cabinet assignments dating back to Mr Jakaya Kikwete's presidency which ended in 2015.
At the Energy docket which he served since 2021, he is remembered for having initiated the Clean Energy project and the national grid improvement project.
He is also remembered for speeding up the execution of the multi-trillion shilling Julius Nyerere Hydropower Dam (JNHD) project and others.
In Arusha, he is remembered for leading the country's initial negotiations with prospective investors for liquid petroleum gas (LPG) projects which are still continuing.
"In short, he has performed well in his immediate past docket and that could probably be why the President decided to give him another ministry to reform,” an analyst from Dar es Salaam said yesterday.
Analysts based in the country's diplomatic capital (Arusha) were optimistic on Mr Makamba's appointment, urging him to reform the ministry.
Allan Moses, the President of Friends of East Africa, a lobby based here and which advocates for regional integration was full of steam when reached out by The Citizen.
"Makamba is good at networking, he has international exposure and is a good communicator. He understands the international dynamics,” he said when reached on phone.
Mr. Moses said he was not surprised that President Hassan picked him to head the ministry which, according to him, appears to have somehow slept on its job.
He added that Mr Makamba's predecessors may have not amused the Head of State by delegating much of their powers to their assistants, especially on matters pertaining to the EAC.
Mr. Moses, challenged the new minister to ensure Tanzania's visibility in the EAC integration projects and activities, grabbing all available opportunities within the bloc.
At the EAC headquarters, the mood on the changes of the Foreign Affairs ministry was mixed, especially among Tanzanian nationals working there.
Scores of them said it was time for key positions in the ministry to be headed by accomplished diplomats, citing Mr Makamba who joined the government as a Foreign Service Officer.
"Diplomats are not hardliners. Ms Stergomena Tax (the holder of the docket until Wednesday) was more of an executive or administrator than a politician,” said one of them.
Before her appointment to the post, Ms Tax had served as an executive secretary of Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc). Prior to that she served as PS for the EAC ministry.
The official cited the standoff between Tanzania and the EAC on the stalled budget of the Community for 2023/24 financial year. Tanzania has rejected assent to the estimates passed in June.
He said although Tanzania must have its reservations on the budget, its outright rejection or rather blocking it would help resolve the issue which would throw EAC in deeper crisis.
"The minister should have suggested a way to resolve the issue amicably rather than blocking the estimates,” he said, noting that President Hassan has been keen to resolve unnecessary conflicts with neighbours.
Another Tanzanian national holding a senior position at the EAC cautioned that not much should be expected from the new minister because "institutions are not individuals".
"Mr. Makamba will find the same policies, rules, regulations, work procedures and same technocrats at the ministry,” he told The Citizen.
The official who had been with the EAC for the past 15 years affirmed;'' The system is there. You can't change rules or procedures, the Treaty or any other legal framework overnight".
According to him, the new minister would not necessarily come with new ideas or technologies, although he would be expected to push for the desired reforms.
Walter Maeda, the chairman of the Arusha chapter of Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA) implored the new minister to raise the country' stakes in economic diplomacy.
"I am speaking most for the businessmen. EAC has problems with cross border trade whose hurdles have not been resolved for many years,” he said in an interview.
He called on the minister to increase the visibility of the country's abundant natural resources and potential for investments in tourism and agricultural sectors.
He also called on the government to set up a sub office for the Foreign Affairs and EA Cooperation ministry in Arusha to cater for a dozen regional and international bodies based here.
