Secretary-General Hails John Pombe Joseph Magufuli’s Service, at General Assembly Tribute for Late United Republic of Tanzania President

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the General Assembly tribute to the memory of John Pombe Joseph Magufuli, the late President of the United Republic of Tanzania, today:

We are gathered today to honour the memory of John Magufuli, the late President of the United Republic of Tanzania.

As we convey our condolences to the Government and people of the United Republic of Tanzania, we also recognize the service of President Magufuli.  He sought to expand access to social services and tackle corruption.

The late President was a noted proponent of infrastructure development and industrialization — vital tools for economic advancement.  Tanzania reached its ambition of becoming a middle-income country four years ahead of its 2025 goal.

The late President also helped strengthen the education system and increase the enrolment rates of new students into secondary schools.  Furthermore, his Government improved rural electrification in the country with ambitions to expand Tanzania’s electricity generation capacity to enable nationwide energy access.

On behalf of the United Nations, I once again offer our condolences to the late President’s family, the Government and people of the United Republic of Tanzania.  We recognize the country’s long history of support for multilateralism and applaud its dedication to international and regional cooperation.

I take this opportunity to reiterate and reinforce the commitment of the United Nations to continue working closely with his successor, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the country’s first female President.

We stand with the people of Tanzania to advance sustainable development and support their aspirations for a prosperous Tanzania for all.