Magufuli: Africa's new buzz word

John Magufuli the president of the Republic of Tanzania.

Tanzanian president John Magufuli seems to have become the most popular leader in Africa in the recent past.

He owes this to small actions he’s been taking lately.

Unlike his predecessors, Magufuli is a 'celebrity president'.

Magufuli is the fifth president of the republic of Tanzania since the country attained its independence from British rule in 1961.

His rise to power was met with surprise and admiration from not only citizens of Tanzania but many Africans throughout the continent.

So why is the name ‘Magufuli’ now the buzz word?

Well, it’s not often that you see a president riding a bicycle to cut the cost of fuel used by convoys.

That’s exactly what Magufuli did – he rode on a bicycle to the statehouse.

This was after he took part in a cleanup campaign where he collected garbage.

Names like ‘Mandela’, Uhuru, Jacob Zuma or Mugabe always give news writers or bloggers something to talk about but lately, the buzz word is Magufuli.

Harsh tags such as #Magufuli and #Tanzania are now associated with the president's name.

Magufuli captured the hearts of many Africans when he took to the streets recently not to campaign for future votes, but to sweep and pick up garbage in the dirty streets of Daresalam.

Photos of him sweeping the streets were shared on social networks, while many sang praises of him being a great example to african leaders.

Perhaps one action that has won him the most favour is that, in a continent where more than two thirds of the population lives in abject poverty, Magufuli reduced the number of cabinet ministers from 26 to 11.