Ashatu Kijaji
Ashatu Kijaji (born 26 April 1976) is a Tanzanian academic and politician belonging to the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party. She is a Member of Parliament for Kondoa Constituency in Dodoma Region and the Minister of the newly established Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade since January 10, 2022. Background and education. Kijaji was born on April 26, 1976, in Kondoa District, Dodoma Region. She completed her primary school in Kalamba Primary School in 1990, then completed her Ordinary level secondary education in Kilakala secondary school in 1994 and thereafter from 1995 to 1997 joined Shinyanga Commercial  School commonly known as SHYCOM for her Advanced level secondary education. In 2001, she received her Advanced Diploma in Economic Planning from the then Institute of Development Management - Mzumbe which is equivalent to Bachelor of Science in Economics currently offered by now Mzumbe University. She then acquired her Master of Science in Business Administration specialized in International Management from the University of Agder, Norway in 2008. She also acquired her PhD in International Management Majoring in Economics frm the same University of Agder, Norway in 2013. She worked as a Planning Officer for the Kisarawe District Council from March 2002  to August 2002 and then as a Assistant Lecturer from 2005 to 2009, Lecturer in Development Economics and International Management from 2009 to 2012 and Senior Lecturer in DevelopmentEconomics and International Management from July 2012 to October 2015 at her alma mater Mzumbe University where she later became the Director of Planning. Political career. Kijaji became involved with the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party in 2004. She first became a Member of Parliament after she won as the ruling CCM party's candidate for Kondoa in the 2015 Tanzanian general election. She faced Yasin Shabani of the Civic United Front  and two other minor candidates. She won receiving 37,795 votes to Shabani's 23,570. Kijaji was appointed Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Finance and Planning in the newly elected President John Magufuli's administration in December 2015. As part of this role, she in involved in the drafting of the second Five Year Development Plan, which she presented to Parliament in February 2016. The plan seeks to encouraging industrialization to drive economic growth and social development. She was appointed Minister for investment, trade and industry in January 2022.