President Jakaya Kikwete, accompanied by First Lady Salma Kikwete,
arrives at the White House for a group dinner during the US-Africa
Leaders Summit in Washington, DC, on Tuesday.
PHOTO-AFP
By: Richard Mgamba
Suddenly, their dirty and dusty neighbourhoods had
all been spruced up, and in a rare show of resolve, someone had actually
seen it to use clean water to ‘‘bathe’’ the streets; it was a rare
treat indeed — never seen here before in decades.
In the morning of July 1, last year, when five
million residents of Dar es Salaam woke up to a lifetime shock and
couldn’t believe their eyes weren’t cheating. Some thought they had been
caught by the wrong hop.
Suddenly, their dirty and dusty neighbourhoods had
all been spruced up, and in a rare show of resolve, someone had
actually seen it to use clean water to ‘‘bathe’’ the streets; it was a
rare treat indeed — never seen here before in decades.
Hundreds of those streets and walkways famous for
the ubiquitous beggars underwent ‘‘state-of-art surgery’’ as beggar
after another were temporarily bundled out from the heart of Dar es
Salaam.
It was all part of a spirited clean-up to make
Tanzania’s commercial capital a respectable, albeit temporary, home to
the world’s most powerful President, Mr Barack Obama , for a single
night’s sleep and two fractions of business days.
But, it was also just a special moment to welcome a
man who came waving a $7 billion energy package in his hands, and a
message of partnership in his heart to Tanzania and Africa.
Earlier in March, last year, Dar es Salaam hosted
the dragon, Chinese President Xi Jiping, who made Tanzania his first
stop-over during his tour of Africa, shortly after being elected the
country’s top leader.
During President Xi three-nation Africa tour
during, China signed 16 trade, cultural and diplomatic accords worth
about $12 billion in Tanzania alone.
There are approximately 8,000 businesses run by
his native Chinese compatriots across Tanzania, ranging from large-scale
construction projects to small shops and downtown market kiosks.
This week, President Obama convened a giant game
of “Let’s Make a Deal” between the US and Africa, bringing together
nearly 50 African leaders with American investors for what he promised
would be a long-term partnership that went beyond extracting “minerals
from the ground for our growth.”
President Jakaya Kikwete was among the key
speakers during the meeting, which some analysts see as the American’s
attempt to overtake the growing Chinese’ influence not only in Tanzania,
but across Africa.
For Mr Obama, the son of a Kenyan economist, wrote
Mark Landler of the New York Times: “It was the centerpiece of a
three-day summit meeting of African leaders — some close allies of the
United States, others barely on speaking terms — that is the president’s
most ambitious attempt to cement his legacy as an American leader who
cares about the African continent.”
Mr Obama told African leaders: “Our entire trade
with all of Africa is still only about equal to our trade with Brazil.”
He added:
No comments:
Post a Comment