Benjamin Mkapa: Tanzania's former president dies aged 81

Tanzania's former President Benjamin Mkapa, who died in hospital on Thursday at Dar es Salaam Hospital where he had been admitted for an undisclosed illness.

Mr Mkapa became Tanzania’s president following the country’s first multiparty election in 1995 and went on to lead the country up to 2005.

He is credited for boosting tax collections, instituting austerity measures to curb wasteful expenditure and opening doors to foreign investors.

His reforms were welcomed by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund and partly resulted in the cancellation of Tanzania’s foreign debts.

His privatisation policy was however much criticised locally, and he later admitted that although he had good intentions the policy was not well executed.

A funeral ceremony will take place on 29 July, according to Prime Minister Kassim Majaaliwa.