The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) has recently appointed Mr. Hamza Johari as the new Director General (DG) after the former acting DG, Mr. Redemptus Bugomola, was suspended together with two other senior officials for incidences of corruption and rent seeking activities.
Mr. Hamza, whom was appointed by Minister of Works, Transport and Communications, Prof. Makame Mbarawa, according to the guidelines of the Civil Aviation Act 2006, explained that Tanzania needs a transformation on the aviation industry to further support economic growth in the country.
Tanzania currently faces several challenges but also equal measure of opportunities in the aviation industry that if well addressed, could make the country’s air transport vibrant to contribute to the mission of achieving the middle-income status by 2025, Mr. Hamza added.
Even though Tanzania has experienced a constant growth in air transport since in the recent years the international passengers’ traffic has been growing at an average of 7.27% per annum, it is still far from average growths from other developing regions as Asia Pacific with 8.6% recorded in 2015, Latin America 10% and Middle-East 10.3% in the same period according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Regarding domestic passengers the panorama is different since in Tanzania it has been growing at a rate of 17.93% per annum in the recent years while in other developing countries as China, India and Russia it recorded growths of 12.8%, 17.60% and 10.3% in 2015 respectively.
According to The Citizen, Mr. Hamza has been waiting for a chance to lead the TCAA and help Tanzania to beat the challenges that are currently constraining growth in the aviation industry.
Prior to his appointment as the new DG he was serving as the executive secretary of the TCAA Consumer Consultative Council and his 26 pages curriculum vitae, 10 years of experience in such position and rich background back him on his new role.
Mr. Hamza, whom was born in Mtwara in Tanzania’s coastal southern region in 1970, started his rich studies on civil aviation in 1998 when he was awarded with a full-scholarship from the government to attend a bachelor’s degree program in law at the University of Kiev in Ukraine, after which was awarded with another scholarship to follow a graduate program in International Law.
These acquired background helped him to be elected as Chartered Member of the International Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) in the United Kingdom in 2009 that was followed by a series of certifications in the aviation industry in 2008, 2010 and 2014.
Mr. Hamza has accumulated over 15 years of professional and international experience in the tourism, law and aviation industry and is considered a tolerant, creative, innovative, and ambitious person according to The Citizen.