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Commonwealth specialist to assist govt on...
2007-07-04 09:19:04
By Adam Ihucha, Arusha
Plans are underway for the Commonwealth Secretariat to bring a trade specialist to Tanzania, to assist both the government and the country in matters of commerce, investments and international trade negotiations.
`The trade expert will be positioned in Dar-es-salaam, where he will support the Government on matters of international trade negotiations` the Commonwealth Secretary General, Don McKinnon disclosed in Arusha recently.
The trade envoy will also offer technical advice and any other necessary support on business issues and commercial undertakings.
The Commonwealth chief said: “We have always been assisting Tanzania, precisely in boosting the small business sector.
Last February, the circle Secretariat promised financial support amounting to USD200m to the Women Entrepreneurship Development Programme (WED) of Dar es Salaam for the training of trainers and farmers on food processing in a bid to reduce post harvest losses incurred due to lack of facilities.`
McKinnon was in a special delegation to Arusha where he specifically visited the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
He was accompanied by Prof. Ade Adefuye, Head of Africa Section, Political Affairs Division of the Commonwealth, Amitav Banerji the Director and Head in the Office of the Secretary-General and Manoah Esipisu, the Deputy Director in the Communications and Public Affairs Division.
Commenting on the Commonwealth aid to Tanzania, Prof. Ade Adefuye, pointed out that COMSEC has also been assisting Micro Credit Schemes in Zanzibar, assisting local small scale producers, precisely women groups, Prof. Adefuye added that he has visited the isles more than 125 times.
When it comes to such aids, Tanzania seems to be a `darling` to the Commonwealth.
`The secretariat has been granting the country USD4, for every single dollar that Tanzania has been remitting to the bloc.` revealed McKinnon.
Trade matters apparently, are among the achievements of McKinnon as the Commonwealth Secretary General. During his nine-year tenure in office, the don has been promoting the establishment of a fair, rule-based multilateral trading system, ensuring that developing countries’ interests are duly reflected in international trade talks.
McKinnon has also been insisting on making a strong stand on the need for developed countries to reduce agricultural subsidies and giving developing countries a fair chance to trade their way out of poverty.
Don McKinnon was New Zealand`s longest serving Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.
He was declared, `Foreign Minister of the Year’ in 2000 by the World Economic Forum magazine.
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