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» Obama’s advisor set for Dar post
New York. President Barack Obama on Monday signalled the strengthening of US relations with Tanzania by nominating one of his top advisers as Washington’s next ambassador to Dar es Salaam.
Mark Childress, Mr Obama’s choice to become the 18th US envoy to Tanzania, currently serves in the White House as deputy chief of staff for planning.“Childress is a seasoned Washington veteran who has successfully navigated the corridors of power in the executive branch and on Capitol Hill,” the Washington Post writes.
Africa specialists in the United States suggest that the nomination may be indicative of a higher level of US commitment to Tanzania. The choice of a powerful White House insider comes just a week after Mr Obama visited Tanzania.
Reacting to the nomination in Dar es Salaam yesterday, some analysts and members of the business community said the move signalled a major shift in everyday diplomatic business between developed and developing countries. “It simply shows Washington’s seriousness in walking the talk,” said the Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship Development (IMED) chief executive officer, Dr Donath Olomi.
Dr Olomi’s sentiments were based on President Obama’s remarks during his recent visit to Tanzania, where he called for a new partnership with Africa that would help sustain the continent’s recent run of tremendous economic growth.
“We are looking at a new model that’s based not just on aid and assistance but trade and partnership,” Mr Obama said at a news conference with President Jakaya Kikwete in Dar es Salaam.
According to Dr Olomi, Mr Obama’s approach calls for a change in the way Tanzania perceives the United States of America and other developed countries.
Traditionally, he said, poor countries have regarded their developed counterparts as donor nations and the only way for them to get economic assistance. This approach was the driving factor behind all appointments to diplomatic missions. “So, in short, developing nations could send someone as a diplomat to a developed nation only when they believed that the person being appointed would help them get assistance…now things have changed and we have to change as well,” he said. “We need to start appointing people who are business-minded and who we think will help us do business with our developed counterparts.”
The Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) executive director, Mr Godfrey Simbeye, said the appointment may have nothing to do with President Obama’s recent visit to Tanzania, based on the argument that, unlike in Third World countries, the presidency is a complete institution in the US.
“This means that the process to nominate Mr Childress as Washington’s next ambassador to Dar es Salaam was already in place even before President Obama’s visit to Tanzania,” he said.
According to Mr Simbeye, business thinking is growing among Tanzanians and the business private sector is ready for a true partnership with their American counterparts. “We only need a mindset change within some quarters in government…it’s time we shifted from thinking about assistance to thinking about doing business,” he added.
Prior to his work for President Obama, Mr Childress held a top position in one of Washington’s most influential law firms. He also served as a senior attorney in the White House counsel’s office under President Bill Clinton.
