Lazaro Nyalandu

Nyalandu has previously served in a number of Organizations’ Boards including chairing the Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees of Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) from 2007 to 2010.

In April 2015, Nyalandu was appointed as Vice Chair of the New International Executive Board of Directors of Africa Travel Association (ATA)- a New York-based trade association promoting travel and tourism to Africa and strengthening intra-Africa partnerships.

As Minister of Natural Resources & Tourism, Nyalandu took major initiatives through global forums to bring new hotel and infrastructure investment to Tanzania. He succeeded in winning the bid for Tanzania to host for the first time, the annual Africa Hotel Investment Forum scheduled for 2015.

In May 2014, Nyalandu convened a conference that brought together international development partners including the UK, USA, EU, UAE, EAC, World Bank, UNDP, GEF, ADB, EABD, and other countries where ivory is sold to such as Japan, China, and Vietnam. The conference was an implementation action following the February 2014 Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in London hosted by the UK Government.

On 28 December 2014, he announced his intention to run for the presidency in the 2015 election.

He is married to Faraja Nyalandu (née Kotta), the winner of Miss Tanzania in 2004. They have two children Sarah and Christopher. Nyalandu is a Christian. In 2013 after the bombing attacks in Arusha, Nyalandu was the only minister who participated in the relief operations to save victims. He organized chartered flights to airlift victims to Nairobi.

Nyalandu was first elected Member of Parliament for Singida North in November 2000. He was re-elected two times in 2005 and 2010.

Prior to joining party politics, Nyalandu worked as an international affairs and development advisor for the Equal Opportunity Trust Fund, Tanzania from 1999–2000. This fund was established and run by Anna Mkapa, the wife of the former President of the United Republic of Tanzania. Before that, Nyalandu served as Operations Banker at Northwest Bank in Minneapolis, USA from 1998–1999.

He pursued his undergraduate studies at Wartburg College in the United States, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration in 1997. Before that, he obtained an associate degree in Business Administration from Waldorf College in the United States.

Nyalandu was also a student leader, known for his role as the National President of Tanzania Christian Students Fellowship (TCSF), commonly known as UKWATA in Tanzania, from 1991 to 1993.

Lazaro Samuel Nyalandu (born 18 August 1970) is a Tanzanian politician, former member of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi and former Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism. He represented the Singida North constituency in the National Assembly since 2000. He is currently a member of CHADEMA, an opposition party in Tanzania.