John Magufuli
1959 – 2021 · aged 62
5th President of Tanzania from 2015 to 2021
- Born
- 29 Oct 1959 · Chato
- Died
- 17 Mar 2021 · Dar es Salaam
Life timeline
Their life from birth to death. On the timeline, world events of the time are shown faintly.
- 29 Oct 1959BornBorn in Chato
- 1995 – 2015RoleMember of the National Assembly of Tanzania
- 2000 – 2005RoleMinister of Works, Transport and Communications
- 2010 – 2015RoleMinister of Works, Transport and Communications
- 2015 – 2021RolePresident of Tanzania
- 17 Mar 2021DiedDied in Dar es Salaam
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Meanwhile in the world
Major world events during their lifetime (1959 – 2021).
- 1959Antarctic Treaty System
- 19621962 FIFA World Cup
- 1962Cuban Missile Crisis
- 19661966 FIFA World Cup
- 1966 – 1976Cultural Revolution
- 1968Prague Spring
- 1969Apollo 11 Moon landing
- 19721972 Summer Olympics
- 19741974 FIFA World Cup
- 19781978 FIFA World Cup
- 1978 – 1979Iranian Revolution
- 1979 – 1989Soviet–Afghan War
- 1980 – 1988Iran–Iraq War
- 19841984 Summer Olympics
- 1985Schengen Agreement
- 19891989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre
- 1989Fall of the Berlin Wall
- 19901990 FIFA World Cup
- 1991Dissolution of the Soviet Union
- 19941994 FIFA World Cup
- 1994 – 1996First Chechen War
- 19981998 FIFA World Cup
- 2001 – 2021War in Afghanistan
- 2003 – 2011Iraq War
- 20042004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
- 20062006 FIFA World Cup
- 20082008 Summer Olympics
- 2008Russo-Georgian War
- 20102010 Haiti earthquake
- 2010 – 2012Arab Spring
- 20112011 Norway attacks
- 2011Libyan civil war
- 2011 – 2024Syrian civil war
- 20122012 Summer Olympics
- 20142014 FIFA World Cup
- 2014Russo-Ukrainian war
- 2015Paris Agreement
- 20182018 FIFA World Cup
- 2020COVID-19 pandemic
- 20212020 Summer Olympics
Biography
John Pombe Joseph Magufuli (29 October 1959 – 17 March 2021) was a Tanzanian politician who served as the country's fifth president, serving from 2015 until his death in 2021. He served as Minister of Works, Transport and Communications from 2000 to 2005 and 2010 to 2015 and was chairman of the Southern African Development Community from 2019 to 2020.
First elected as a Member of Parliament in 1995, he served in the Cabinet of Tanzania as Deputy Minister of Works from 1995 to 2000, Minister of Works from 2000 to 2005, Minister of Lands and Human Settlement from 2006 to 2008, Minister of Livestock and Fisheries from 2008 to 2010, and as Minister of Works for a second time from 2010 to 2015.
Running as the candidate of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), the country's dominant party, Magufuli won the October 2015 presidential election and was sworn in on 5 November 2015; he was re-elected in 2020. He ran on a platform of reducing government corruption and spending while also investing in Tanzania's industries, but his rule had autocratic tendencies, as seen in restrictions on freedom of speech, restrictions on LGBTQ rights, and a crackdown on members of the political opposition and civil society groups. Despite all the accusations, a spokesman for the ruling party assured that Magufuli would not remain in power beyond the two limits allowed by the constitution.
Under his presidency, Tanzania experienced one of the strongest economic growths on the continent (6% on average per year according to the IMF) and moved from the category of lower-low income countries to lower-middle income countries.
Contrary to leaders elsewhere in the world, Magufuli ordered COVID-19 testing to stop and resisted calls to implement public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tanzania. He also expressed distrust of American- and European-developed vaccines, preferring to rely on faith to protect his nation. Magufuli's approach has been characterised as COVID-19 denialism.
His death on 17 March 2021 was attributed by the government to a long-standing heart issue. He was succeeded by his vice-president, Samia Suluhu.
Text from the Wikipedia article John Magufuli, CC BY-SA 4.0
About this information
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