Obama’s new American Ambassador to Tanzania starts tour of duty

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Written by Linda Hohnholz

United States President Barack Obama named and appointed Mark Bradley Childress a new American Ambassador to Tanzania effective last month.

United States President Barack Obama named and appointed Mark Bradley Childress a new American Ambassador to Tanzania effective last month. Mark Bradley Childress was sworn in as the US Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania on April 21, and then traveled to Tanzania for accreditation to start his tour of duty this month.

Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete received his credentials during a brief official ceremony held in Dar es Salaam days ago.

Prior to his nomination, Mr. Childress served as the Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Planning at the White House. From 2011 to 2012, he served as Senior Counselor for Access to Justice at the Department of Justice, and from 2010 to 2011, he was Principal Deputy General Counsel and Acting General Counsel at the Department of Health and Human Services, according to US embassy in Tanzania.

He received a BA from Yale University and a JD from the University of North Carolina School of Law.

While in Tanzania, Mr. Childress will oversee, among other political and economic issues, the US support to Tanzania in areas of health, human rights, and wildlife conservation.

The United States is the leading donor to Tanzania in health projects targeting malaria eradication, Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS prevention, safe-motherhood, and a health educational programs.

Tanzania is among African countries doomed with tropical and communicable diseases including the recently diagnosed dengue fever outbreak which had hit several localities in the capital city of Dar es Salaam.

With little budget in health services, Tanzanian government depends donor support from the United States, Britain, Germany, and Scandinavian states to finance health projects.

Wildlife conservation is the other area which the US government had committed to support since last few years. America has been in the frontline to assist Tanzania in anti-poaching campaigns aimed to saving African elephants and other endangered species from extinction from poaching.

The US government has been supporting Tanzanian and other African nations in fighting international terrorism and piracy in the Indian Ocean.

Tourism is the leading economic sector which Tanzania is looking for the American partnership. The Tanzania Tourist Board has launched an international tourism marketing strategy targeting the fast growing American market.

United States is second on top of the international tourist markets which Tanzania is looking at while implementing the International Marketing Strategy. Americans are counted the higher spending tourists and the most responsible travelers touring Tanzania.

Recognizing the marketing potentials available in the US market, Tanzania Tourist Board launched its first year membership with the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), to market the countryโ€™s tourism in America.

Every year, Tanzanian tour operators, government institutions responsible for tourism marketing participate the annual tourism and travel exhibition taking place in Los Angeles, California.

The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) exhibition is yet, another opportunity which Tanzanian safari operators, hotel operators, air charter and other tourism service providers attend to sell Tanzania.

ASTA exhibition also attracts government owned tourism marketing planning and wildlife conservation institutions to attend the exhibition; these are Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), Zanzibar Commission for Tourism (ZCT) and Department of Tourism in the ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Tanzania national Parks and Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority.

Mr. Childress has taken over the post from Alfonso Alfonso Lenhardt who started his official tour of duty to Tanzania from 2009 up to last year.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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