President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed sadness at the passing of esteemed Tanzanian economist Professor Benno Ndulu.
The professor who served as a member of South Africa’s Presidential Economic Advisory Council, passed away in a hospital in the Tanzanian capital of Dar es Salaam on Monday.
He was 71 years old.
“President Ramaphosa offers his sincere condolences to Prof Ndulu’s family, the people of Tanzania and Prof Ndulu’s extensive, global and continental network of associates and partners,” said the Presidency in a statement on Tuesday.
The President also offered his condolences equally to the members of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council.
During his multifaceted career, Prof Ndulu worked in the World Bank Group and served as a Governor of the central bank of the United Republic of Tanzania.
He was also respected as an academic economist at the University of Dar es Salaam.
“We share this great loss with the people of Tanzania, who, in their generosity, shared Prof Ndulu’s wisdom and vision with our nation through our Presidential Economic Advisory Council,” said President Ramaphosa.
In his tribute, the President described Ndulu as an outstanding economic intellectual with an extraordinary and vibrant passion for African development and for the reconstruction and recovery of South Africa’s own economy.
“He made an invaluable contribution to the Presidential Economic Advisory Council. It is sad that Africa has lost a great thinker and visionary in the infancy of continental free trade.”
The President appointed members of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council with effect from 1 October 2019.
The Council was announced by the President to ensure greater coherence and consistency in the implementation of economic policy and ensure that government and society in general is better equipped to respond to changing economic circumstances.
“We shall miss this special counsellor but we will be guided by the spirit and content of his lifetime of devotion to building a better Africa,” said President Ramaphosa.