Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group, pays homage to the Late President of Tanzania, H. E. Dr John Pombe Joseph Magufuli

At the end of his official visit to the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group, traveled to Chato in the northwest of Tanzania, and paid homage to the late Tanzanian President, John Magufuli, who died on 17th March, 2021.

Laying a wreath on Magufuli’s grave, Adesina reminisced about how they shared a passion for the accelerated development of Africa. He described the late President as a “dear friend, brother and partner.”

“I miss our engaging discussions about Africa. I miss our discussions on your vision for Tanzania. In a very short time, you transformed Tanzania. You were bold. You were determined,” Adesina wrote in the condolences book. “I thank God for your life. I thank God for your outstanding service to Tanzania; for all you did to improve the lives of your people, whom you loved very dearly.”

Magufuli, who was elected as the country’s fifth president in 2015, initiated mega infrastructure projects, such as the multinational Standard Gauge Railway, to ease the transfer of goods between the port of Dar es Salaam and the city of Kigali in Rwanda and subsequently to Bujumbura in Burundi, and Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He also expanded major highways, linking cities in Tanzania and connecting to neighboring countries to boost trade, reduce poverty and improve livelihoods.