Benjamin Mkapa: The Diplomat, The Peacemaker
Following the death of former president Benjamin William Mkapa, we have seen an outpouring of condolences and support from our neighbours, diplomatic missions and international organizations. Notably, Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda) and Paul Kagame (Rwanda) have announced three days of national mourning in their respective countries in honour of the deceased statesman.
It should be noted that Benjamin Mkapa started off his career as a foreign service officer, served as Tanzania's top diplomat to Nigeria, Canada, U.S.A. and served as foreign minister under two administrations. He was also mentored by Mwalimu Nyerere who was the altermate diplomat and peacemaker. It is in light of this that I will share some of his diplomatic achievements.
In 1976 Mkapa was appointed High Commissioner to Nigeria in large part to mend fences between the two states after Nyerere had supported the secession efforts of Eastern Nigeria to become the independent state of Biafra. Nyerere had been a staunch Pan-Africanist and was criticized by his African counterparts for the perceived hypocrisy of supporting the unification of African states on one hand and supporting the secession movement in Nigeria on the other. Mwalimu could have sent any senior diplomat at the time but instead entrusted that sensitive duty to Mkapa who was then his press secretary. That goes to show how much faith Nyerere had in Mkapa's diplomatic abilities.
In 1977 Mkapa was promoted to foreign minister at a time when Tanzania was at the forefront of the African liberation movement. Mkapa stated in his autobiography that during that time the number one foreign policy concern for the country was interaction with other states on the liberation of Southern Africa. It is a historical fact that Tanzania carried the most burden for supporting the liberation movements both financially and diplomatically.
As president, Mkapa helped normalize relations between Tanzanian and international monetary organizations. Mkapa opened Tanzania's economy to the world and initiated policy which attracted foreign investment. His privatization initiative were largely financed by the World Bank and IMF. Relations between Tanzania and the international monetary organizations had soured towards the end of Nyerere's reign. Even though Mkapa's predecessor President Mwinyi had done much to open up Tanzania to the world, the economy was still not perfoming well and by the time Mkapa entered office the country's finances were in a dire state. It was Mkapa's diplomacy that brought back investor confidence in Tanzania.
After he left office in 2005, he was called upon to mediate between President Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga after the contentious Kenyan elections of 2007. He was part of the African Union's Panel of Eminent African Personalities who brokered the agreement and lead to a power sharing government in Kenya with Mwai Kibaki as the president and Raila Oding as the prime minister. Before his death, Mkapa was also the Facilitator working to reconcile the warring parties. He held this role in the Burundi negotiations since 2016.
These are just a few examples of the late president's diplomatic and peacekeeping credentials. If I was to write about all his diplomatic endeavors it would require a book of its own and I hopenone day someone will feel inspired to write such a book. His death is not only a loss to Tanzania but a loss to the East African region and Africa as a whole. My his soul rest in peace.
Thomas J. Kibwana.
