Tanzania President names finance minister as Vice-President

By Our Correspondent, DODOMA Tanzania

Tanzania parliament has today March 30, approved Finance and Planning Minister, Phillip Mpango (63), as the new Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania.

He was approved by all the 363 members of parliament who gave a nod, this was shortly after Mpango’s name was presented to the speaker of parliament Job Ndugai by the President’s ADC earlier in the day.

Mpango who is a current member of parliament for Buhigwe constituency in Kigoma region will be sworn in as the Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania on Wednesday, March 31 at State House Chamwino, Dodoma.

Following the parliament confirmation, the speaker declared Buhigwe constituency, vacant because he now ceases to be a Member of Parliament as spelt out in the constitution.

“I therefore wish to inform the National Electoral Commission that Buhigwe Constituency is now vacant.” Ndugai declared.

Mpango now fills the Vice President position left vacant by Samia Hassan who according to Tanzania constitution was sworn in as President following the death of former President, John Magufuli.

Until his nomination, Mpango was the Minister for Finance and Planning of the United Republic of Tanzania, and has been in office since November 2015.

He previously held positions as the Acting Commissioner General of the Tanzania Revenue Authority, the Executive Secretary in the President’s Office (Planning Commission), the Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, the Personal Assistant to the President (Economic Affairs).

He also worked as the Head of the President’s Economic Advisory Unit, Senior Economist for the World Bank, Visiting Lecturer in Public Economics, Collaborative Masters program for Anglo-phone Africa, AERC, Nairobi-Kenya, and Lecturer, Economics Department University of Dar es Salaam.

Some of his notable publications include: Macro-micro Linkages in the Fight Against Poverty: Missing Links and Enabling Bridges (2004); Some Reflections on Semi-privatization of Customs Administration in Tanzania (1996), and a chapter on Spatial Dimensions of Economic Growth published in Tanzania Sustaining and Sharing Growth.

Mpango was also the Principal Supervisor for the preparation of The National Five Year Development Plan 2011/12 – 2015/16.

He told the parliament before they voted on his nomination that he will continue to implement flagship infrastructure projects, including a new standard gauge railway and roads, and fight corruption.