January Yusuf Makamba (born 28 January 1974) is a Tanzanian
CCM politician and
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
for Bumbuli constituency since 2010. In December 2015, he was appointed as a Minister of State in the Vice President’s Office for Union Affairs and Environment.
On 12 September 2021 he was appointed as Minister of Energy by the President
Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Early life and career
Makamba was born in
Singida Region
Singida Region (''Mkoa wa Singida'' in Swahili) is one of the regions of Tanzania. The regional capital is the municipality of Singida. The region is bordered to the north by Shinyanga Region, Simiyu Region and Arusha Region, to the northeast b ...
and is the eldest of four children. His father,
Yusuf Makamba, a stalwart of the country's
dominant ruling party
The ruling party or governing party in a democratic parliamentary or presidential system is the political party or coalition holding a majority of elected positions in a parliament, in the case of parliamentary systems, or holding the executive ...
, the
Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and had served as its Secretary General. His mother, Josephine, is from Missenyi District in
Kagera Region
Kagera Region (''Mkoa wa Kagera'' in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The region covers an area of . The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of Netherlands. Kagera Region is border ...
. He spent his early childhood in his
ancestral home
An ancestral home is the place of origin of one's extended family, particularly the home owned and preserved by the same family for several generations. The term can refer to an individual house or estate, or to a broader geographic area such as a ...
of Mahezangulu village in
Lushoto District and at his maternal grandmother's village in Kagera Region, which was at the time invaded by Ugandan troops during the
Uganda–Tanzania War
The Uganda–Tanzania War, known in Tanzania as the Kagera War (Kiswahili: ''Vita vya Kagera'') and in Uganda as the 1979 Liberation War, was fought between Uganda and Tanzania from October 1978 until June 1979 and led to the overthrow of Uganda ...
.
He was educated at Handeni and
Galanos secondary schools in Secondary School; and at
Forest Hill High School
Forest Hill High School is a public high school located in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. It serves students from grades 9 12, and is part of the Jackson Public School District. The current principal is Torrey Hampton.
Demographics
A tota ...
. He attended
Quincy College
Quincy College (QC) is a public community college in Quincy, Massachusetts. It is an open admission commuter school that offers associate degrees, bachelor degrees, and certificate programs. It was founded in 1958 and enrolls approximately 4,500 ...
in
, United States for a preliminary course before transferring to
Saint John's University St John's University may refer to:
*St. John's University (New York City)
** St. John's University School of Law
**St. John's University (Italy) - Overseas Campus
* College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, St. Joseph, Minnesota and C ...
in
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, where he majored in Peace Studies. He then undertook an internship at the
Carter Center
The Carter Center is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. He and his wife Rosalynn Carter partnered with Emory University just after his defeat in the 1980 United States presid ...
, before obtaining his MSc in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from the
School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution
The Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution (formerly known as the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution or S-CAR) is a constituent college
A collegiate university is a university in which functions are divided ...
at
George Mason University in 2004.
Upon his return to Tanzania, he joined the
Foreign Ministry In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
as a Foreign Service Officer (Grade II).
Jakaya Kikwete
Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete (born 7 October 1950) is a Tanzanian politician who was the fourth president of Tanzania, in office from 2005 to 2015. Prior to his election as president, he was the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 2005 under hi ...
, the
Foreign Minister
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
at the time would later on vie for the presidency in the
2005 election. Makamba joined his campaign team and traversed across the country visiting all the
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
. Following Kikwete's
landslide victory
A landslide victory is an election result in which the victorious candidate or party wins by an overwhelming margin. The term became popular in the 1800s to describe a victory in which the opposition is "buried", similar to the way in which a geol ...
of over 80 percent, he was appointed as an
aide to the President. His formal title was ''Personal Assistant to the President – Special Duties'' (PAP-SD); a position that he would serve for five years until 2010.
Political career
In 2010, he contested in the
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
as a Member of Parliament for his home
constituency
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...
of
Bumbuli and was elected unopposed. In the
10th Parliament, he served as the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Energy and Minerals.
In April 2011, he replaced
Bernard Membe Bernard Kamilius Membe (born 9 November 1953) is a Tanzanian politician. He served as a Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tanzania from 2007 to 2015.He also served as a Member of Parliament for Mtama constituency from 2000 to 2015.
Early life and edu ...
as CCM's Political Affairs and International Relations Secretary and served in this post until November 2012 when he was succeeded by
Asha-Rose Migiro
Asha-Rose Mtengeti Migiro (born 9 July 1956) is a Tanzanian politician and diplomat who was the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations from 2007 to 2012. She was appointed as the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for HIV ...
at the 8th National Congress of the CCM. Makamba was also elected as one of the ten members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) from the mainland part of the country. He received the second highest number of votes (2,093).
In May 2012,
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Kikwete appointed him as the
Deputy Minister of Communication, Science and Technology following a
cabinet reshuffle
A cabinet reshuffle or shuffle occurs when a head of government rotates or changes the composition of ministers in their cabinet, or when the Head of State changes the head of government and a number of ministers. They are more common in parli ...
. In July, he launched the Bumbuli Development Corporation, a personal initiative that would seek to supplement the government's effort in bringing development to his constituency. In August 2014, he was nominated by
Vodacom Tanzania
Vodacom Tanzania Limited is Tanzania's leading cellular network company. As of December 2020, Vodacom Tanzania had over 15.6 million customers and was the largest wireless telecommunications network in Tanzania. Vodacom Tanzania is the second t ...
CEO to participate in the
Ice Bucket Challenge
The Ice Bucket Challenge, sometimes called the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, is an activity involving the pouring of a bucket of ice water over a person's head, either by another person or self-administered, to promote awareness of the disease amyo ...
in order to raise awareness for
obstetric fistula
Obstetric fistula is a medical condition in which a hole develops in the birth canal as a result of childbirth. This can be between the vagina and rectum, ureter, or bladder. It can result in incontinence of urine or feces. Complications may i ...
patients in Tanzania; or donate US$100. Makamba decided to donate
TSh (US$600) instead.
In October 2014, Makamba was quoted advocating
dictatorship
A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, which holds governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. Politics in a dictatorship a ...
as a means to end
graft
Graft or grafting may refer to:
*Graft (politics), a form of political corruption
* Graft, Netherlands, a village in the municipality of Graft-De Rijp
Science and technology
*Graft (surgery), a surgical procedure
*Grafting, the joining of plant t ...
in politics.
2015 presidential campaign
On 2 July 2014, he announced on BBC Television in London that he was 90%
certain that he would contest in his party's
primaries
Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the c ...
for the presidency, he was the first candidate to declare IKULU position for
the 2015 election, and after that slew of candidates announced.
On 9 July 2014, President Kikwete whilst on a four-day official tour
of Tanga
Region, addressed Makamba's constituents and praised their MP for his work.
On his presidential ambition, Kikwete advised him to look at him as an example.
President Kikwete ran first time for the presidency in 1995, he did not succeed
but second time in 2005 he was elected. President Kikwete told Makamba that
when the time comes, he would get the presidency.
5].
During his 2015 presidential campaign,
Makamba launched a book authored by Fr. Karugendo titled ''40
Questions 40 Answers: A Conversation with January Makamba''.
The book was
preface
__NOTOC__
A preface () or proem () is an introduction to a book or other literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a '' foreword'' and precedes an author's preface. The preface often close ...
d by retired
President
Ali
Hassan Mwinyi, was detailed with his
vision for #TanzaniaMpya meaning The New Tanzania with top priority on
job creation
Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the referenc ...
and if elected, he will introduce a jobs bill that will need about $2 billion.
Other priorities were social services, and good governance.
During the CCM presidential primaries, January Makamba was
the youngest of the five politicians that made it to CCM’s top 5 presidential candidates,
beating CCM veterans including former Prime Ministers, Vice President, and
party veterans. After Dr. John Magufuli
secured CCM nomination, Makamba returned to Bumbuli constituency where he was
re-elected into second term by 84% of the total votes. Also, during 2015
Presidential elections, he was part of 32 cadres that made up CCM Campaign Committee, doubling as
spokesperson of the campaign and in-charge of CCM communications during the
entire campaign. Makamba also was a member of small team selected by CCM
Chairman to prepare party’s manifesto (Ilani
ya uchaguzi) for five years period 2015-2020. Makamba is widely regarded as a potential successor to President
John Pombe Magufuli.
Personal life
Makamba is a
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
. He is married to Ramona and is the father of two children. He is an avid football fan and supports
Simba
Simba is a fictional character and the protagonist of Disney's ''The Lion King'' franchise. Introduced in the 1994 film ''The Lion King'', Walt Disney Animation's 32nd animated feature, the character subsequently appears in '' The Lion King II: ...
,
Coastal Union,
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
and
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
in the
Tanzanian
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
,
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
leagues.
Honours and awards
*2013:
Young Global Leader
Forum of Young Global Leaders, or Young Global Leaders (YGL), was created by Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum. The YGL, a non-profit organization managed from Geneva, Switzerland, is under the supervision of the Swiss government ...
by the
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...
*2013:
National Democratic Institute
The National Democratic Institute (NDI), or National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, is a non-profit American NGO that works with partners in developing countries to increase the effectiveness of democratic institutions. The NDI's ...
’s Democracy Award
*2014: 10 Most Powerful Men In Africa,
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
Magazine
References
External links
*
*
40 Questions 40 Answers: A Conversation with January Makamba(PDF) in Kiswahili
{{DEFAULTSORT:Makamba, January
1974 births
Living people
Tanzanian Muslims
Chama Cha Mapinduzi MPs
Tanzanian MPs 2010–2015
Tanzanian MPs 2015–2020
Deputy government ministers of Tanzania
Galanos Secondary School alumni
Forest Hill Secondary School alumni
College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University alumni
George Mason University alumni
People from Singida Region
Energy ministers
Government ministers of Tanzania