REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY McALEESE AT THE STATE DINNER, STATE HOUSE TANZANIA
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY McALEESE AT THE STATE DINNER, STATE HOUSE TANZANIA MONDAY, 19 JUNE, 2006
Honourable Jakaya Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania; former Presidents Ali Hassan Mwinyi and Benjamin Mkapa, Vice President Ali Mohamed Shein, Abeid Amani Karume President of Zanzibar, Ministers, distinguished guests.
Wageni waheshimiwa, mabibi na mabwana. Ninayo furaha kubwa kuwa hapa Dar es Salaam wakati huu. Nawaletea salamu nyingi kwa niaba ya serikali na wananchi wa Ireland.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. I am very happy to be here in Dar es Salaam on this occasion. I bring greetings on behalf of the Government and people of Ireland.
It is an honour and a pleasure for Martin and me to meet with you here tonight on the occasion of my State visit to your wonderful country.
Ireland and Tanzania are old friends and good friends. We have had a long and productive relationship in development cooperation and I hope that this visit will lay the foundations of even stronger links in the years ahead.
Development
Tanzania was designated as one of Ireland’s first Programme Countries and we have had an official presence here since 1979. Since then we have worked together in partnership and in pursuit of shared goals. Ireland’s involvement here has a simple aim and that is to help Tanzania to pursue its own development vision. Our level of support has grown over the years and now stands at €26 million or some 37 billion Tanzanian Shillings.
The Irish Government is committed to reaching the UN target for Overseas Development Aid by 2012. As we reach 0.5% of GNP next year and 0.6% in 2010 there will be very substantial increases in our aid budget and I know that Tanzania has a strong case for increased support.
The case for Tanzania is strong precisely because you have an enviable record for peace and political stability and impressive economic growth. Tanzania is one of the leading countries in Africa in terms of Government owned and led reforms and donor harmonisation. You have a clear vision of the future in Vision 2025 and an inclusive and comprehensive strategy in the MKUKUTA.
A large share of Ireland’s assistance to Tanzania is delivered through Budget Support. This is in line with the preferences of your Government. A quid pro quo for budget support is a commitment to human rights and good governance and in that respect Mr. President, your personal leadership and commitment to good governance is well documented and deserves acknowledgment and support.
Ireland and Tanzania work closely together in a number of sectors, particularly health, local government reform and agriculture. Support to the health basket is a key component of our programme of development cooperation and not only is our aid to health set to grow by 50% but next year we will assume the role of lead donor in the sector.
Tanzania and the wider world
Mr. President, Tanzania’s achievements go beyond its borders. You play an important role on the international stage. I congratulate you on your successful Presidency of the Security Council. Although still a young democracy, Tanzania has provided support and encouragement to other emerging democracies. You have played a key role in promoting peace and reconciliation in the Great Lakes Region, a region which has struggled to emerge from a tragic period of conflict. You have provided a safe haven for those who have fled from conflicts and Tanzania’s proud record has been in large measure due to your leadership and vision as Foreign Minister over a long period. I know that you will continue to provide that leadership and vision as President.
Missionaries and Volunteers
Although our two countries are separated by thousands of miles, the links between Ireland and Tanzania are very well established thanks mainly to the work of our missionaries and lay volunteers who built schools and hospitals and caring communities here long before the establishment by the Irish Government of a programme of official assistance. We are proud of their work and their legacy not just here but in the spirit of generosity and responsibility for the world’s poor which they have given to Ireland, for we are a first world country with a third world memory and that memory keeps us deeply implicated in the lives of those who still suffer from endemic poverty.
Ireland’s Success
The rapid growth in Ireland’s economy has been well documented and has drawn interest from around the globe. That transformation happened over a very short timescale and earned for Ireland the title of “Celtic Tiger”. We have successfully attracted and retained high levels of foreign direct investment. Participation at third-level education has grown substantially. Inflation, unemployment and interest rates have remained low for quite some time.
Whereas in the past Ireland was scarred by mass emigration, we are now home to many thousands of migrant workers from Eastern Europe and further afield. Their contribution goes beyond the economic and their unique culture and heritage enriches our land and contributes to the rich fabric of contemporary Ireland in the 21st Century.
Similarities between Ireland and Tanzania
Mr. President, Ireland and Tanzania are very different countries, far removed from each other and yet the similarities between our two nations are striking. We are both comparatively young States – the United Republic of Tanzania is younger at 42, but Ireland is also relatively young, gaining independence in 1922.
We have both moved on from the dire legacy of our colonial past, metamorphosing into mature States with a good news story to tell at home and a strong voice on the regional and international stage.
Agriculture is central to Tanzania’s prosperity as it once was to Ireland’s and although we are now a highly globalised manufacturing and service based economy, rural life is a backbone of our nation and agriculture still represents a major sector of the economy.
Although Tanzania is rich in natural resources, your Government recognises that your greatest resource is the genius of the Tanzanian people. Investment in education here at primary level has been one of the great success stories of the country’s development and Tanzania looks set to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of Universal Primary Education. Ireland is proud to have been a supporter of the engine for this success, the Primary Education Development Programme. I know that there are plans to build on this success at second level.
Ireland also invested heavily in the past to expand participation in education. That strategy has paid huge dividends and laid the foundation for much of our progress in recent years.
Mr. President, these similarities between our two countries show that there is much that we can learn from each other.
Conclusion
Although this is my first visit the path between Ireland and Tanzania is already well travelled with visits to Ireland by Mwalimu Nyerere and former President Mwinyi and visits to Tanzania by my predecessors President Hillery and President Robinson. Many more come today as investors or as tourists lured by the magnificent landscape of the Serengeti, or Ngorongoro Crater, snow-capped Kilimanjaro, or the legendary spice islands of Zanzibar.
Mr. President you visited Ireland in 2000 in your capacity as Foreign Minister but I hope that before too long you will come back to us again so that I can return your warm hospitality. Just as I am among old friends here you too will be among old friends in Ireland.
May Tanzania prosper in peace and continue to give new heart, new hope to all of Africa.
I will now ask you to join with me in a toast: To the continued health of His Excellency, the President of the United Republic of Tanzania and the prosperity of the Tanzania people.
Asanteni sana . Thank you.