William Ferdinand Shija (28 April 1947 – 4 October 2014) was a Tanzanian politician and the former Secretary General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association between 2007 and 2014. He had also served as a member of the African Union's Pan-African Parliament.[1]

Dr William F. Shija
6th Secretary General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
In office
1 January 2007 – 4 October 2014
Preceded byDenis Marshall
Succeeded byKarimulla Akbar Khan
Member of Parliament
for Sengerema
In office
1990–2005
Succeeded byWilliam Ngeleja
Personal details
Born(1947-04-28)28 April 1947
Tanganyika
Died4 October 2014(2014-10-04) (aged 67)
London, United Kingdom
Resting placeSengerema, Tanzania
NationalityTanzanian
Political partyCCM
SpouseGetruda Peter Shija
Children5
Alma materHoward University (PhD)

Early life and career

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Shilija was born in Nyampande village in Sengerema District of Mwanza Region. Before entering politics, Shilja worked as a civil servant and a teacher. After receiving higher education in India and the United States, he taught communications in Tanzania.

Politics

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Shija was a member of the National Assembly of Tanzania from 1990 to 2005. During this time he held the positions of Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education; Minister for Information and Broadcasting; Minister for Energy and Minerals; and Minister for Industries and Trade. He was a member of the Pan-African Parliament in 2004 and 2005 and chaired the Committee on Education, Culture, Tourism and Human Resources.[2] He was appointed the first African Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association[3] on September 9, 2006 and took up the position on 1 January 2007. His term lasted until 2014.

Personal life

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Shija was married with five children. When he assumed the post of Secretary-General of the CPA, he lived in London.[2] Dr. Shija was a patron for a Welsh based charity that works extensively in Tanzania.[4]

Death

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He died on 4 October 2014 in London.[5][6] He was buried in his home village of Nyampande in Sengerema District, Mwanza Region.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Member of Parliament CV". Parliament of Tanzania. 2005. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  2. ^ a b "News Release:Tanzanian to head Commonwealth organization". Archived from the original (PDF) on October 20, 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  3. ^ "Former Secretary-Generals". www.cpahq.org. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  4. ^ Rich. "home". Tools For Self Reliance Cymru. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  5. ^ "CPA Secretary-General Dr William F. Shija dies in London, UK" (PDF) (Press release). Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-06.
  6. ^ Raphaely, Lawrence (5 October 2014). "Shija is no more". Daily News. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  7. ^ Chacha, Emmanuel (14 October 2014). "Bilal leads hundreds in Shija farewell". The Citizen. Retrieved 15 October 2014.