William Shija

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

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

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

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

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
  1. "Member of Parliament CV". Parliament of Tanzania. 2005. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  2. "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.
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