Observations from Addis: President Samia is changing how the world views Tanzania

Henry Temu, Addis Ababa (on transit)

On February 5 1985, a star was born in the in the Portuguese island of Madeira, his parents named him Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, a soccer maestro, a man the world now fondly refers to as CR7. After successful deliveries in Portugal, England, Spain and Italy, Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr last December, and the rest is now history for the Arab League.

Just as Ronaldo -one person has changed the Arab league from the least to the most watched league in the history of football, one person is now pedestaling Tanzania to the pinnacle of success in geopolitics and economic diplomacy. Her name is Tanzania’s President Mama Samia Suluhu Hassan, the 6th President of Tanzania. President Samia has so far used her charisma and diplomacy genius to change the perception of how the world views Tanzania.

Since coming into power about two years ago, she has engineered robust reforms geared towards economic and political stability linking these with creation of an investment friendly ecosystem. The reforms are paying off, and for starters the country is witnessing a record flow of foreign direct investments and tourists.

As a political scientist, I say this is only the beginning to a historic period of growth in Tanzania. Her political genius of managing a big country on transition is an envy of many African leaders and beyond, especially in the developing world.

A quick scan on opinions in the streets of Dar es salaam and diplomatic corridors in Addis give a clear picture that Tanzanians will continue to support her reforms agenda and grand vision.

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The writer has identified himself as a political science scholar from the University of Dar es Salaam.