Hoyce Anderson Temu

Hoyce Anderson Temu - Deputy Head of Tanzania Mission in Geneva, Switzeland from Aug 2021

Ambassador Temu emanates from the media fraternity and beauty pageant with more than 15 years of experience in communication and public relations having served in various institutions, including the United Nations and the Bank. While at the UN, Ambassador Temu played a critical role as a liaison officer to promote UN agencies among citizens of Tanzania as well as to improve ties among more than 23 UN agencies in the country.

Through her profession in communication, Ambassador Temu was able to promote the UN agenda on SDG and to create awareness among Tanzanians, thus incorporating it in various development plans and utilizing her expertise in diplomacy and media to disseminate the SDGs.

During her tenure in public relations, Ambassador Temu has been instrumental to link the UN and various envoys to receive internal development support. This was a shift from the previous years’ practice where most of the funds were disbursed from the headquarters straight to the government as UN support through fundraising by the EU, Sweden and Finland to empower various groups for them to identify opportunities and utilize them.

Hoyce displayed a high level of creativity by introducing things which were previously not there within the Miss Tanzania pageantry where they managed to conduct a tour of all regions in Tanzania and fundraised for the needy.

Just to refresh our minds, Ambassador Temu won the Miss Tanzania beauty pageant in 1999 where she managed to represent Tanzania during the Miss World Beauty Contest in the United Kingdom.

While holding the title of Miss Tanzania Hoyce was also employed as a Public Relations Officer at FAO in 1999 where she served for three years and thereafter as a Secretary for the Telefood committee whose Patron and Matron were former President of Tanzania the late Benjamin Mkapa and his wife Anna Mkapa respectively.

During her tenure at Telefood, Ambassador Temu and the former first family managed to reach all regions in the country where they met and supported various women who were engaged in dairy farm and poultry thus emancipating them from abject poverty.

Among her duties as Miss Tanzania were to support women in Singida where Ambassador Temu pioneered a programme tittled Basket for Food. In the program, she managed to scout markets for women who were weaving baskets to sell them in the USA. The said baskets were sold in churches and auction markets with its funds being sent back to support families while at the same time empowering women economically and in terms of the capital.

In 2011, Ambassador Temu introduced a TV program to support Tanzanians who were in dire need of funds and comfort in their lives. The airing of Mimi na Tanzania ( Me and Tanzania) programme now Tanzania Yetu (Our Tanzania) depicted her personality as a woman with compassion proving that she got into beauty pageantry with a purpose to help the public.

According to statistics in social media, as of March 2016, the programme had managed to assist 1000 needy members from various areas. If you are to assess most of the things that Ambassador Temu has done to assist Tanzania, you will notice that she is a truly Tanzanian product with vast expertise in diplomacy and public relations sphere.

It is with no doubt that with 15 years of experience in diplomacy, Ambassador Temu will perform well her new roles and will be instrumental to promote Tanzania to the world as was the case with the UN while serving them here in Tanzania. The main role of the Geneva Embassy in Tanzania is to enhance good ties between the UN, and other agencies in Geneva and Vienna in Austria.

Apart from its role of promoting Tanzania as advised by President Samia during her speech at the swearing in ceremony of envoys, among the critical role of the Geneva Centre is to assist Tanzanian citizens in Swiss, including the diaspora as well as residents who intend to come to Tanzania for various purposes such as tourism, investment and other diplomatic issues.

In her speech on July 27, the President among other things called upon young ambassadors to utilize their potentials as youth to utilise Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in exploring the world to identify potential economic opportunities available in other nations where Tanzania can benefit.

In her book titled Nayakumbuka Yote (I recall every detail) she wrote in 2007, Ambassador Temu says she was born at Mount Meru Hospital in Arusha in March 1978. She pursued her primary school education at Matemboni Old Moshi before her transfer to Arusha School where she sat for her exams and passed to join Arusha secondary school.

She then joined Zanaki High school in Dar es Salaam after her outstanding performance at Arusha Secondary School, She later joined Arizona State University in the US before she served as a Public Relations and Communications Officer at the Standard Chartered Bank. She later pursued her post graduate diploma at the College of Diplomatic Relations in Dar es Salaam and thereafter joined SAUT University graduating with a degree in Mass Communication.

Ambassador Temu is now on her fourth year pursuing a PhD in Mass Communication at SAUT University. Ambassador Temu won several accolades for her work one being on Press Freedom from UNESCO, Super Woman on the health category, Humanitarian of the Year award, Malkia wa Nguvu for the year 2017 as well as a Woman’s Award issued by EfM through the Dina Marios Women’s programme for the 2020.