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Arusha readies for American leader
2008-02-18 09:10:22
By Bilal Abdul-Aziz, Arusha
Arusha, the country`s northern safari capital, is set to receive visiting US President George Bush, who jetted in Dar es Salaam over the weekend.
He is on a four-day state tour, as part of his five-nation official visit, which also took him to Benin on Friday and will take him to Rwanda on Tuesday and later on to Ghana and Liberia.
Bush, who had a busy day in and around Dar es Salaam yesterday, is scheduled to land at Kilimanjaro International Airport this morning.
He will grace three events here today before flying back to Dar es Salaam tomorrow.
According to a tentative press itinerary issued by Jeffery Salaiz, the US embassy`s public affairs officer, Bush is scheduled to visit Arusha`s Meru District Hospital, Emusoi Centre and A to Z textile mills.
The three institutions receive funding from the United States.
The Emusoi Centre, a project of the Maryknoll Sisters in Arusha, is an ongoing educational project that prepares school-age girls from nomadic tribes for entrance into secondary and tertiary schools.
Emusoi, literally means a place of discovery and awareness in Maasai language.
A to Z textile mills produces Olyset nets, the only mosquito nets recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to fight the killer disease malaria.
Authorities here said people were ready to give the US President a dignified welcome.
They promised to step up security and close some roads for about nine hours so as to allow Bush and his delegation shuttle between the three event areas smoothly.
The Arusha Regional Police Commander told a news conference ahead of President Bush`s arrival that security would be tight and sections of two main roads-Moshi-Arusha and Arusha-Monduli--will remain closed today from 8.00 in the morning until 5.00 in the evening.
Bush becomes the second US head of state to set foot on Arusha soil, after his predecessor, Bill Clinton, paid a brief visit that lasted approximately 12 hours in 2000.
Although Bush`s visit to Tanzania and other four African states doesn`t include a tourism agenda, the American ambassador, Mark Green, who spoke ahead of the tour, said the visit would add value to Americans who, because of President Bush`s visit, would explore the country`s investment opportunities.
Tourism top`s the country's potential business opportunities.
The Tanzania Tourist Board has been organizing various tourism promotional tours in the US to market Tanzania.
Tanzania is currently advertising its attractions through CNN.
Tanzania is mostly known for its rich and spectacular attractions made up of wildlife famous African parks of Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Selous and Tarangire with additional attractive Mount Kilimanjaro - Africa`s highest peak.
In addition to American interests on health and educational projects that Washington funds, the visit to Arusha will definitely put an international spotlight on the tourism sector.
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