Katy Gabel
22 May 2009
President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania became the first African head of state to visit the Obama White House Thursday, where he discussed issues including Africa's most pressing conflicts with President Barack Obama.
According to a White House readout on the meeting, the presidents "had a valuable discussion on a range of issues" and "exchanged views on approaches to enhancing the U.S.–Tanzanian partnership, improving development policy in the fields of health, education, and agriculture, and working with other partners in the region to solve some of the most pressing conflicts on the African continent."
A Swahili-language report posted to a popular Tanzanian blog hosted by journalist Issa Michuzi said Kikwete and Obama had "debated some of the African continent's biggest challenges, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Darfur, Somalia and the current political situation in Kenya."
Ongoing tension between mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar was also raised, the report said. Kikwete had "explained to President Obama... the enthusiasm his government has for reconciliation of political issues with Zanzibar." Recent media reports have suggested that Zanzibar might wish to split from the mainland if oil is discovered offshore.
Michuzi's blog report added: "President Obama... praised President Kikwete for his leadership in improving government education, and assured him that all the aid for building infrastructure from the [U.S.] Millennium Challenge Account will speed things along, and that many projects are already under construction."
Kikwete also met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She was among a range of Obama administration officials who sat in on the Oval Office meeting, according to the Swahili news report.
Others included Director of the White House's National Economic Council Lawrence Summers, National Security Advisor James Jones and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson, who was a teacher at the Malangali School in Iringa, Tanzania, in his youth. Carson was a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania from 1965 to 1968.
Tanzanians responded to the White House meeting with cautious optimism.
According to a report in the Tanzanian English-language daily, The Citizen, civil society activist Moses Kulaba said he was concerned with "our president's globe trotting," citing that words exchanged abroad often translate to little change back home.
"We need to assess that all these expensive overseas trips make economic sense to our country. I hope the President uses the opportunity to make it clear on what Tanzania wants to trade better," he said.
Nevertheless, the executive director of the Tanzania Investment Center, Emmanuel Ole Naiko, said Kikwete and Obama's meeting could boost investor confidence: "Their meeting is the best news in these times. Tanzania stands to gain from investors who often take such gestures seriously.
"The U.S. was usually last among the top 10 investors locally but since the rise in relations since the [George W.] Bush times, the country is today in fourth position in terms of foreign investment here," he told The Citizen.
Earlier in the week, President Kikwete visited California's Silicon Valley, where he met with executives at technology giants Cisco, IBM and Google. The three companies "agreed to help" Tanzania, the government-owned Daily News reported.
The newspaper said that at Cisco, Kikwete discussed the "various steps Tanzania was taking in embracing ICT fully, including that of the laying of a fibre-optic [cable] and the establishment of an IT college at the University of Dodoma."
At Google, he discussed how the government could work with the company to "accelerate development and promote efficiency." And IBM Vice President Dr. Mark Dean "assured President Kikwete that the century-old company would continue assisting Tanzania in ICT, especially the proposed IT college at the University of Dodoma."
Kikwete's meetings with technology companies come just a month before the expected landing date for Seacom, the first of three undersea fiber optic cables which will connect East Africa with Europe.
In an interview last year, Seacom's CEO Brian Herlihy told AllAfrica that Seacom "will provide free Internet access to the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania."
Kikwete also visited Stanford University in Palo Alto, where he discussed access to clean drinking water in Tanzania.
On Wednesday, Kikwete received an award from Doctors for Africa in Los Angeles for his efforts to improve health on the continent, and for steering his government toward increasing the country's health budget to 11 percent.
According to the Swahili-language report, Kikwete will spend the rest of his visit to the U.S. visiting international organizations and international financial institutions.
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fiurstly, I say bravooo to the Tnz president being able to sit with President Obama... secondly,, it's a new light penetrating to the African Continent... Thirdly, I have a great hope that, the Visit of President Obama to Ghana will be a real Boost for the West African People to add another Light in the Continent.. just like what the Tanz'n President have did and willing to do for His people... Especially, in terms of Health and Education.... so why can't we hope for the best?? I think it's time for us to learn from the others now before it's… [Read Full Text]
This post was deleted because it contravenes AllAfrica's commenting guidelines.
so what if Obama visits Ghana instead of Nigeria? even if Jesus reappears in Ghana it is still an African country where suffering is eternal and inate
What's the beef of our nigerian brothers, Ghana did not beg prez Obama to visit. he did so on his own conviction. After all he is a right thinking prez.
the issue about Africom came up during Prez. Bush visit's to Ghana in 2008. The government of Ghana stated clearly that it will not allow an American base to be established on its soil. this was said in the presence of Pres.
when it comes to oil, of course Ghana will trade its oil with the highest bidder just like any oil producing country. if America is interested in Ghana's oil we will sell to them if the offer is better.
I can understand the frustration of my Nigerian brothers. Historicaly, Nigeria has been Ghana's closest family… [Read Full Text]
I totally agree Obama should not visit Nigeria until we buckle up and stop all the curroption. However, I think he should also have visited Botswana, that is one African country that has proved themselves and I have hardly heard anything negative about. GOD BLESS BOTSWANA...
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