By Lake Zone Watch writer
The ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) National Executive Committee (NEC) yesterday endorsed Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi as the party’s new secretary general to fill the void left by Daniel Chongolo who resigned in November last year.
Dr Nchimbi’s elevation to the CCM top post followed a recommendation from the Central Committee, the party’s powerful policy-making body.
The appointment of the 52-year-old civil servant and diplomat was made at a special CCM National Executive Committee meeting held in Zanzibar.
According to a statement released by the CCM Ideology Department, before endorsing Dr Nchimbi’s appointment the NEC meeting dwelt at length on discussions on the country’s strategic projects. These include the Julius Nyerere Hydro-Power Project, the Standard Gauge Railway, the John Pombe Magufuli Kigongo-Busisi Bridge Project, Implementation of the CCM 2020-2025 Manifesto and the Restructuring of the Parastatals just to name few.
Dr Nchimbi, who grew up within the CCM youth ranks, previously held ministerial posts under the administration of retired president Jakaya Kikwete (2005-2015) before holding ambassadorial posts abroad.
CCM is one of Africa’s oldest political movements slowly embracing a generational change and moving away from appointing pre-independence party stalwarts as party secretaries general to giving political space to the young born after independence from Britain in 1961.
The selection of Dr Nchimbi and his predecessors – Dr Bashiru Ally and Daniel Chongolo – is a case in point that the pre-independence political mass movement is poised for change as the 2025 general elections approach.