Kikwete to launch Development Foundation

Retired president, Dr Jakaya Kikwete, has decided to carry on with development issues after registering a development institution that goes by the name “Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete Foundation” (JKMF) to be launched on Monday.

The soft launch will be occasioned by a meeting of members of the Board of Trustees at Hyatt-Kilimanjaro Hotel in Dar es Salaam.

The international board that includes members from within and outside the country, such as the United States and Malaysia will be meeting under the chairmanship of Dr Kikwete himself and will go through and approve official documents that make up the institution.

The reason behind having an international board is that JMKF will target development issues in the African continent, even if Tanzania might benefit more as the foundation will have its headquarters in the country.

Dr Kikwete’s decision to initiate the foundation comes as it is tradition in developed countries for retired presidents to do so and this is becoming common even in Africa.

Typically, such institutions target to spearhead issues that the particular leader stood for while in power or made as important part of their policies during their leadership tenure.

Also, targeted could be things that proved challeng ing during their presidencies. In Tanzania, Dr Kikwete becomes the third leader to run a development institution because his two predecessors formed foundations that have hugely contributed to development in Tanzania.

The first institution to be initiated is the one that is geared towards following what the Father of the Nation, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere stood for - Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation (MNF), while the second one is that of the Third Phase Government president, His Excellency Benjamin William Mkapa Foundation.

While MNF focuses mainly on ideas of Mwalimu Nyerere to spearhead African unity, ensuring higher learning education especially for girls and resolving conflicts in Africa, Mkapa Foundation focuses on health issues and has greatly contributed to development of the sector in the country, specifically in infrastructure construction.

Dr Kikwete has decided that his foundation will focus on four main areas that his administration dealt with to a great extent and was successful at, but still there are challenges that need concerted efforts from different stakeholders.

The identified areas for JMKF are Sustainable Development, in which the foundation will focus on the fight against poverty among citizens, help small scale farmers to raise their in come and deal with climate change challenges.

It will deal with health challenges, including mother and child health, conquer Malaria and advocate for nutrition. The third area is education, especially for the youth, talent promotion, entrepreneurship and training.

The fourth is geared towards fostering good governance and uphold peace. JMKF Coordinator of Activities, Mr Omari Issa, says Dr Kikwete wishes to use his skills and knowl edge to offer his services to Tanzanians and Africans in areas typically of a common man.

Mr Issa who was once appointed by Dr Kikwete to oversee a Big Results Now (BRN) plan had this to say: “The areas that his Excellency the retired president has chosen did not come just as a hail from the sky. They are areas that he has been in concern with and dealt with when he was in the top political post for ten years.”