Dr. Benson Alfred Bana was appointed to the position of Ambassador by H. E. Dr. John Pombe Joseph Magufuli, President of the United Republic of Tanzania on 20th September 2019. He is at the moment, High Commissioner, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Republic of Tanzania to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Prior to the diplomatic appointment, Dr. Bana was Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Dar es Salaam.
He holds a PhD (Public Human Resource Management) from the University of Manchester, UK. He obtained Master of Political Science and Public Administration (First Class) as well as Bachelor of Education (First Class) degrees from the University of Dar es Salaam; and Diploma in Adult Education (First Class) from the Institute of Adult Education. Ambassador Benson Bana is a respected international standing academician, political scientist and analyst, human resource management expert at home and abroad.
Dr. Bana has carried out myriad consultancy assignments in areas of his expertise for different organizations, including the World Bank, UNDP, DANIDA, East African Community (EAC), SADC, Belgian Technical Cooperation, Government of Tanzania, etc. He has more than 65 published works, including chapters in books and papers in refereed journals in local, regional and international outlets. One of his recent seminal publications is a book titled “Reforming Tanzania’s Public Sector: Assessment and Future Direction (2017), which he co-published with Professors Gelase Mutahaba and Ernest Mallya.
He has served as Chairman of the boards of governors for the Institute of Finance Management (IFM), Legal Service Facility (DANIDA, EU and DFID basket fund entity) as well as board member of the Institute of Adult Education and AHEAD-Tanzania, a non-governmental organization. He is an active resource person for the African Association of Public Administration and Management (AAPAM), Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) and Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR)
Ambassador Dr. Benson Alfred Bana was born on Sunday, 3rd March 1959. He is a Christian (Roman Catholic), married to Evelyne Kemilembe and blessed with four children. He is a member of several professional bodies, including the East Africa Political Science Association (EAPSA); American Management Association International (AMAI); International Association of School and Institutes of Administration (IASIA); African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM); National Association of Adult Education. (NAAE-Tanzania) and Association of Political Science in Tanzania (TAPS).
He is fluent in both Kiswahili and English languages. He loves reading and writing, watching news and football as well as travelling.