Former Tanzania Investment Centre director Ole Naiko dies at 70

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Ole Naikowill goes down in history books as the man who sat on the driver’s seat of TIC at a time when Tanzania was ranked as one of the top 10 reformers in the World Bank’s Doing Business Report

He died during the early hours of yesterday after battling with hypertension and diabetes for a long time, his son, Steve Ole Naiko, confirmed yesterday.
“My father has succumbed to hypertension and diabetes,” he told The Citizen yesterday. According to him funeral arrangements were underway at the deceased’s family house (Bahari Beach) in Dar es Salaam.
Mr Ole Naiko will go down in history books as the man who sat on the driver’s seat of TIC at a time when Tanzania was ranked as one of the top 10 reformers in the World Bank’s Doing Business Report.
It was basing on his track record as a respected civil servant that in 2012, the CEOs Roundtable (CEOrt) of Tanzania awarded him with a Lifetime Achievement for Outstanding Public Service Award.
The then CEOrt,the late Ali Mufuruki, said that the selection committee arrived at the decision to award Mr Ole Naiko after looking at his above reproach record as a strong advocate of the private sector agenda during his many years of public service.
Mr Naiko joined TIC in 1991 when it was called Investment Promotion Centre (IPC) and rose through the ranks to become the Centre’s Executive Director in 2005.
At some point, he was willing to air opinions that differed with his fellow senior public servants as long as he was convinced that the government had made a decision that would not be in the best interest of investors.
It was under his watch that in 2006, Tanzania was named among the 10 top global reformers. Similarly, in 2007, TIC was rated as the Best Investment Agency in the world,courtesy of its after care service. That was not the end of it as three years later, Tanzania was named among top 10 countries in Green investment. In 2008, Mr Ole Naiko was elected the Vice-President of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (Waipa). Speaking during the event to receive the award, Mr Ole Naiko said all his undertakings at TIC were guided by the desire to build a viable middle class in Tanzania in line with aspirations of former President Jakaya Kikwete’s administration.
“Our primary focus then was to bring economically disadvantaged Tanzania into the mainstream of our economy as a Middle Class Stratum because nationally and internationally we have inherited and created institutions and systems that exclude too many of our people from global and national prosperity,” he said in 2012.
Before Mr Ole Naiko’s tenure at TIC, Tanzania was a strange destination to Batswana investors. It was him who propelled Batswana to come and invest in Tanzania and now, every Tanzanian knows about the presence of Mlimani City Complex.
Having played that role effectively and after retiring from public service in 2013, the government of Botswana appointed him to be its honorary consul in Tanzania, with residence in Dar es Salaam.
Working under the supervision of the High Commissioner of Botswana in Lusaka,Zambia, his duties entailed aiding and protecting the nationals of Botswana visiting or residing in Tanzania as well as promoting the commercial interests of Botswana.Dar es Salaam. Former executive director of Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) Emmanuel Ole Naiko, 70, (pictured)is no more. He died during the early hours of yesterday after battling with hypertension and diabetes for a long time, his son, Steve Ole Naiko, confirmed yesterday.
“My father has succumbed to hypertension and diabetes,” he told The Citizen yesterday. According to him funeral arrangements were underway at the deceased’s family house (Bahari Beach) in Dar es Salaam.
Mr Ole Naiko will go down in history books as the man who sat on the driver’s seat of TIC at a time when Tanzania was ranked as one of the top 10 reformers in the World Bank’s Doing Business Report.
It was basing on his track record as a respected civil servant that in 2012, the CEOs Roundtable (CEOrt) of Tanzania awarded him with a Lifetime Achievement for Outstanding Public Service Award.
The then CEOrt,the late Ali Mufuruki, said that the selection committee arrived at the decision to award Mr Ole Naiko after looking at his above reproach record as a strong advocate of the private sector agenda during his many years of public service.
Mr Naiko joined TIC in 1991 when it was called Investment Promotion Centre (IPC) and rose through the ranks to become the Centre’s Executive Director in 2005.
At some point, he was willing to air opinions that differed with his fellow senior public servants as long as he was convinced that the government had made a decision that would not be in the best interest of investors.
It was under his watch that in 2006, Tanzania was named among the 10 top global reformers. Similarly, in 2007, TIC was rated as the Best Investment Agency in the world,courtesy of its after care service. That was not the end of it as three years later, Tanzania was named among top 10 countries in Green investment. In 2008, Mr Ole Naiko was elected the Vice-President of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (Waipa). Speaking during the event to receive the award, Mr Ole Naiko said all his undertakings at TIC were guided by the desire to build a viable middle class in Tanzania in line with aspirations of former President Jakaya Kikwete’s administration.
“Our primary focus then was to bring economically disadvantaged Tanzania into the mainstream of our economy as a Middle Class Stratum because nationally and internationally we have inherited and created institutions and systems that exclude too many of our people from global and national prosperity,” he said in 2012.
Before Mr Ole Naiko’s tenure at TIC, Tanzania was a strange destination to Batswana investors. It was him who propelled Batswana to come and invest in Tanzania and now, every Tanzanian knows about the presence of Mlimani City Complex.
Having played that role effectively and after retiring from public service in 2013, the government of Botswana appointed him to be its honorary consul in Tanzania, with residence in Dar es Salaam.
Working under the supervision of the High Commissioner of Botswana in Lusaka,Zambia, his duties entailed aiding and protecting the nationals of Botswana visiting or residing in Tanzania as well as promoting the commercial interests of Botswana.