Late Ambassador
Paul Bomani's Web Site
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TUTAKUKUMBUKA DAIMA
Curriculum vitae
Background
Speech
Quotes
Gallery
Funeral
 .......... (Grandchild) Bomani pose for the photo while attending one of the function chaired by his granddad. |
| With Gen.Moshe Dayan, my
Israel counterpart; I initiated the airlift to Israel of ordinary
small holder farmers from every province of Tanganyika for three months of
practical training in Horticulture in Israel. This scheme was a seed of
change resulting in a vibrant small-farmer fruit and vegetable production
sector that presently exists in the country. During this time I also
initiated an a forestation program involving the Districts of Mufindi,
Chunya, Ukerewe and Bukoba. Some 26 years later I returned to the
portfolio of Minister of Agriculture and authorized the harvesting
of trees for timber from this program. I also assisted in the
development of the sugar industry in Tanganyika. Together with
Julius Nyerere who later became Tanganyika's first president, Chief
Patrick Kunambi, Chief Kidaha Makwaia and Mr. Van Eegen ( Dutch
Consul general at the time) , we established the Kilombero Sugar
Company, which later became a joint venture between the Government
and a Dutch company. Top | Curriculum Vitae |
| While Minister
For finance I participate in the groundwork for the
establishment of the Central Bank of East Africa that was to replace
the East African Currency Board, within the framework of the Charter
for East African Cooperation, in a commission chaired by
Dr.Blumenthal from the German Bundes Bank. These preparation were in
view of the impending federation of the four East African States of
Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Zanzibar. The committee envisaged an
East Afican entral Bank with constituent Banks for each of the four
States. The idea of an East African federation and that of an east
African central bank did not materialize, but the portion of the
Charter on the constituent banks formed the blueprint for the
establishment of the (central) Bank of Tanzania. The first bank
notes of the bank of Tanzania bear my signature. During my tenure as
Minister of finance the government made forays in Commercial banking
and insurance by establishing joint ventures in the business. We
created joint ventures in banking and Insurance in which the government
held 40% of shares. The Commercial Bank of Africa and the
Cooperation and rural development Bank were established under this arrangement
. Top | Curriculum Vitae |
| The Second Five-year
Development Plan was prepared and launched during my tenure as Minister
for Economic Affairs and Development Planning. This was a
comprehensive social and economic development plan whose main object
was to identify the commanding heights of the economy so as monitor
and manage the economy better. The Plan had four major aspects: In
the field of social services we were able to establish an
independent University for Tanzania with a liaison organization
linking the University with the universities of Kenya and Uganda. A
plan was set in place for the achievement of primary school
education for all children from the year 1989. In the sector of
industrial development the plan put in place strategies for the
development of industries to cater for the domestic and the East
African market. Nine industrial hubs were envisioned, and industries
were deployed depending on the availability of raw materials. The
capital city of Dar es salaam was additionally designated to cater
for exports to neighboring countries, while the other 8 zones were
allocated in other areas of the country. The Small Scale Industries
organization (SIDO) was established to create employment, develop
skills at the micro-economic level and to curb the mass migration of
people from rural to urban areas. A deliberate effort was made to
develop the transport and communications infrastructure. Arteries of
highway connecting the main production centers and crisscrossing the
country were planned. A railways system linking the northern and the
southern regions and linking Tanzania with Zambia was also planned.
The plan also prepared for the education and training of indigenous
manpower to meet the requirements of the country. It was planned
that byh the year 1985 Tanzania would meet its requirements for
skills at most levels, with the exception of very rare professions. Top | Curriculum Vitae |
| As
Minister for Commerce Industry and Mining, I was involved in the
building of strategies to promote the marketing of agricultural commodities
and participate in major fora of UNIDO, UNCTAD and the GATT. I took
part in the creation of the International Coffee Agreement (ICA)
which was established in 1961 and was a founder member of its
governing council. The ICA was set up to address the problem of fluctuating
prices, discriminatory quotas and tariffs as well as the access of
coffee to markets of the industrialized countries. It served strengthened
the terms of trade for developing countries and farmers of poor
countries were able to benefit from better prices and assured access
to the markets of the developed counties. Top | Curriculum Vitae |
| My main role as Ambassador
to the US from 1972 to 1983 was to build and maintain good
relations between the US and Tanzania. During this period the
freedom of African countries still under colonial rule as well as
the fight against white minority rule in South Africa were high on
the agenda of Tanzania 's foreign policy. My mission was to
sensitize US government and congressional leaders to a better
understanding of the struggles of the people of Zimbabwe,
Mozambique, Angola and Namibia for political independence and the
crusade against apartheid in South Africa. I worked, more than the
normal Ambassador, as a " freedom fighter's agent" and
facilitated contacts for nationalist leaders like Joshua Nkomo,
Cheif Buthelezi and Sam Nuyoma with church and other interest
groups, to allow their case to be heard whenever they came to the
US. As a most significant achievement, through the joint effort of
African ambassadors we were able to convince Senator Dick Clark of
Ohio to pass the Clark amendment, which prevented the US government
from giving support - military or otherwise - UNITA. This
development opened up better relations between the US and Tanzania
and as a result an increased number of Tanzanian students were able
to enroll in US universities. I was a regular visiting speaker on US
campuses on the subject of decolonisation in Africa. At that time
many Americans saw the process of decolonisation as an inroad for
communism. There also prevailed a perception that the pursuit for
social justice and individual rights was communist oriented. My
message was that while communist countries had supported the process
of decolonisation and had agreed with the principle of national independence,
this did not make the African independence movement communist. I
made numerous speeches on university campuses across the US to
sensitize American opinion on this theme and my 11 year stay in the
US concluded with a pleasant closing of the chapter of
decolonization, as all African countries were liberated and
apartheid came to an end in South
Africa. Top | Curriculum Vitae |
| When I was
Minister for Minerals and Mining we were able to liberalize the
mining industry and set in place legislation allowing the local
people to enter the mining sector. This initiative let to the
participation of small-scale operators in the mining of gold,
tanzanite and mica. For the first time indigenous people were
able to obtain mining rights and licenses. Top | Curriculum Vitae |
| The Lake zone comprising Mara, Mwanza and Shinyanga
regions is the heart of the cotton growing area of Tanzania. In the
1950s seeing the need to organize a marketing tool for cotton
farmers, I founded and promoted the cooperative movement in the
county. The movement began with the establishment of cooperative
societies under the Cooperative Ordinance. The first step was to take
over the cotton ginning industry from non-producers by setting up or
purchasing Cotton ginneries. In the second step we created the
Victoria Federation of Cooperative Unions (VFCU) composed of 19
Cooperative Unions. The Unions were responsible for the collection
and purchase of cotton, while the VFCU saw to the marketing and
export of cotton. The apex organization also took care of quality
control and th provision of inputs such as seeds and insecticides.
This arrangement succeeded because there was a clear division of labor
between the Unions and their Federation, close monitoring of crop
production and marketing and sound management of the financial
affairs of the cooperatives. banks were able to provide funding
based on the hypothetication of the crop and the VFCU became the
largest cooperative marketing enterprises in the British Commonwealth. Top | Curriculum Vitae |
|
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| My appointment to
the LEGCO was a tribute to the work I had previously don to
promote the social and economic well being of the people of the Lake
Victoria zone. In 1951 I became President of the Sukuma Union. The
Union was an organization established to defend the social and human
right of the Sukuma people of northwestern Tanganyika. The aim of
the organization was to strengthen the customs and traditions of the
people . It succeeded in democratizing the traditional rule of the
Sukuma Chiefs, who under he British colonial government, ruled
through appointed councils. At the recommendation of the union, the tribal
chiefs came to rule with a college of elected " bagumani"
or helpers. Membership to the Sukuma Union was countrywide. Later the
Sukuma Union ceded its operations to the Tanganyika African
Association (TAA), an organization of indigenous civil servants and
professionals that was set up to promote the social rights of
African people. I then became the TAA chairman for the Lake Province
and subsequently Lake Province Chairman of he Tanganyika African
national Union (TANU), the political partly that was founded in 1954
to press for the political rights of Africans and independence of
Tanganyika from British rule. Top | Curriculum Vitae |
| The rampage Constitutional Reform Commission
established universal franchise for the people of Tanganyika. Until
then women were excluded from voting and voting rights were
restricted to men of specified educational and property
qualifications. |
| Ian macleod was then British Minister for
Commonwealth and Colonial Affairs. The macleod Constitutional
Committee set up a system of Government for Tanganyika based on the British
model. Tanganyika later opted for a republic, with an executive
President following the US model rather than the Indian model with a
titular President and an executive Prime Minister. Top | Curriculum Vitae |
| The Philip Commission chaired by Prof.Philip from Denmark
included 9 members; three members from each of the three East African
countries. The commission sat for 18 months. It conducted interviews
and gathered the opinion of experts and the general public; its work
culminating in the treaty that created the East African Community.
The treaty established such institutions as a common market, common
services such as railways and harbors, a joint airline and a common
income tax administration. It also established social services like
research institutes and the University of East Africa. Top | Curriculum Vitae |
| I was a fonder member of the International Institute
for Cotton (IIC) and served as its President
for 6 years. The IIC was set up to defend from the onslaught of
man-made fibers. The IIC popularized cotton as a natural, versatile
and user friendly fiber that breaths with the skin. |
| Tanzania Breweries Ltd. (TBL) is a joint venture
between the Government of Tanzania and private shareholders led by
the south African Breweries, while Tanzania Distilleries Ltd. is a
subsidiary company of TBL. The TBL is listed on the Dar es Salaam
Stock Exchange. |
| The University of Dar es Salaam has a student body of 8,000 spread over 3 campuses. The main campus includes the faculties of Arts and social sciences, sciences, Engineering, Law, Commerce and Computer Science. The College of Medicine and the College of Architecture are situated in two separate campuses. |
A College professor once described me as a resourceful,
moderate revolutionary, with a talent to organize and mobilize
people. I was Julius Nyerere's right hand man during the fight for
independence. The Sukuma people were the largest tribe in Tanganyika
and more than a quarter of the country's population lived in the
Lake zon. I was able to galvanized the support of the 50 traditional
cheifs of Sukumaland and commanded their great respect and trust .
Because of the success o our grassroots social and business
organizations that existed prior to the formation of TANU I was also
able to draw unequalled goodwill from the confidence and faith of
the ordinary people of Sukuma, who had given me the affectionate
nickname " Kishamapanda" - meaning. " The
trailblazer". The full support that the movement for political
independence received from the less populous areas of the country
enabled Tanganyika to become the first country among the four East
African Stats to attain political independence.| All rights reserved |
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