| Dr William F. Shija | |
| Office: | 6th Secretary General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association |
| Term Start: | 1 January 2007 |
| Term End: | 4 October 2014 |
| Predecessor: | Denis Marshall |
| Successor: | Karimulla Akbar Khan |
| Office2: | Member of Parliament for Sengerema |
| Term Start2: | 1990 |
| Term End2: | 2005 |
| Successor2: | William Ngeleja |
| Birth Date: | 28 April 1947 |
| Birth Place: | Tanganyika |
| Death Place: | London, United Kingdom |
| Restingplace: | Sengerema, Tanzania |
| Nationality: | Tanzanian |
| Party: | CCM |
| Spouse: | Getruda Peter Shija |
| Children: | 5 |
William Ferdinand Shija (28 April 1947 – 4 October 2014) was a Tanzanian politician and the former Secretary General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association between 2007 and 2014. He had also served as a member of the African Union's Pan-African Parliament.[1]
Shilija was born in Nyampande village in Sengerema District of Mwanza Region. Before entering politics, Shilja worked as a civil servant and a teacher. After receiving higher education in India and the United States, he taught communications in Tanzania.
Shija was a member of the National Assembly of Tanzania from 1990 to 2005. During this time he held the positions of Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education; Minister for Information and Broadcasting; Minister for Energy and Minerals; and Minister for Industries and Trade. He was a member of the Pan-African Parliament in 2004 and 2005 and chaired the Committee on Education, Culture, Tourism and Human Resources.[2] He was appointed the first African Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association[3] on September 9, 2006 and took up the position on 1 January 2007. His term lasted until 2014.
Shija was married with five children. When he assumed the post of Secretary-General of the CPA, he lived in London.[2] Dr. Shija was a patron for a Welsh based charity that works extensively in Tanzania.[4]
He died on 4 October 2014 in London.[5] [6] He was buried in his home village of Nyampande in Sengerema District, Mwanza Region.[7]