Benjamin William Mkapa

Benjamin William Mkapa
Former President of Tanzania, Member of the Club of Madrid
Mkapa was the president of Tanzania for the Revolutionary State Party from 1995 to 2005. Prior to his presidency he served in a variety of posts, including Minister for foreign affairs and Minister for science, technology and higher education. Throughout his political career, Mkapa worked to strengthen Tanzanian democracy, entrench civil rights and fight poverty, while increasing the country’s exposure to international trade and investment. Mkapa was appointed Patron of the UN committee of 2008 International Year of Planet Earth, and he has chaired and been a member of several international commissions. Mkapa continues to be very active regionally and internationally. He is co-chairing both the Investment Climate Facility for Africa and the Africa Emerging Markets Forum.