Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Tuesday appointed Minister for Finance and Planning Philip Mpango as the country’s Vice-President.
The appointment of Mpango as Vice-President was unanimously approved by the parliament sitting in the capital Dodoma.
Speaker of the National Assembly Job Ndugai announced that Mpango got 363 votes from all the Members of Parliament who were present in the House chamber.
Speaking shortly before parliament endorsed him, Mpango said the best way to honor the late President Magufuli was to oversee what he had stood for, including sound management of the country’s resources and implementation of flagship projects.
“I am from a poor family and my task ahead will be fighting for the rights of poor people in this country,” said Mpango.
He said another task ahead will be to ensure that Tanzania moved from the lower-middle-income status it attained in 2020 to the higher-middle income class within a short period of time.
“This is possible if Tanzanians decide to do so,” said Mpango to thunderous applause from the over 300 lawmakers in the House chamber.
Mpango was appointed Minister for Finance and Planning in 2016. He was born on July 14, 1957.