Tanzania was presented well at the Sister Cities International 2008 Conference.

From left to the right is Deogratias Rutabana, Sam Brownback-United State Senetor, Eslun Tucker-Arusha Sister City committee member, and Mae Ferguson-Sister City International president from Washington, DC .
Mayor of Kansas Mark Funkhouser, president of Kansas City's sister city Michael Wood and other government official at the mayors reception

Deogratias Rutabana, Eslum Tucker, and United States mayor Mr. Keith Zook.
Columbus Sister City International President Barbara A.Pratzner

Mayor Mark Funkhouser of Kansas with the representative of Tanzania

More United State mayors at the mayors reception including Mayor Paul Natale of Commerce City More United State and African mayors including Mayor Glele Ahanhanzo from the Republic of Benin

Eslim Tucker,Mary Jean Eisenhower, President and CEO of People to People International (PTPI), and Deogratias Rutabana.

Mr. Michael Wood president of Kansas City Sister City and Deogratias Rutabana
President of Sister Cities International Mae Ferguson from Washington, DC and Deogratias RutabanaMayors and other delegates at the conference
More conference in a diferent session More United States government oficials at the conference
Cerebration time during the evening

More representaive from Africa During dinner time with the mayor of vilage of Hanover Park Mr. Robert D.Packham

Kansas City, Missouri hosted the 52nd Annual Sister Cities International Conference from July 16-19, 2008. The Westin Crown Center Hotel was "home base" for meetings and the final evening Gala. Delegates from the following countries: Benin, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Ghana, Guyana, Japan, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, South Korea, Taiwan, Tanzania and Uganda plus the United States gathered for the 4 day conference. Over 500 participants from around the globe were in attendance. Ghana was representade by more than twenty candidates including Prince Kwame Kludjeson and his two sons.

Keynote speakers for the 4 day event conference were: Dianne Dillon-Ridgley, a noted international speaker on Sustainability, Corporate social Responsibility, Population, Gender and Justice Issues. Henrietta H. Fore, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Goli Ameri, Assistant Secretary of State for Education and Cultural Affairs. Senator Sam Brownback furrently serving on the Appropriations, Judiciary and Joint Economic Committees. He also serves in the Helsinki Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, co-chairs the Senate Cancer Coalition and the Human Rights Caucus, chairs the Senate Values Action Team and is a founding member of the Senate Fiscal Watch Team. Mary Jean Eisenhower, President and CEO of People to People International (PTPI).

On Wednesday, July 16 the opening reception was held at the National WWI Museum at Liberty Memorial. During the day on Thursday, break out meetings were held with various topics containing: "Sister Schools: Connection Classrooms", "SOS sustaining our Sisters", "The Craft of Storytelling: Putting Narrative into Newsletters, Blogs and Web Sites." The Evening concluded with a Mayor's Reception at the Nelson Atkinds Museum's Kirkwood Hall. Friday events included additional breakouts with a highlight being the "Mayor's Forum "Engaging Your Elected Officials." Lunch was a special event called "Lou Wozar Annual Awards Ceremony & Luncheon." Very special Guest speakers included Henrietta Fore, USAID Administrator and Sam Brownback.

The conference was a place where you learn how to raise more money, find out how to economically develop our countries and communities through the Sister City program, gather new ideas to improve tolerance and understanding our countries, and find new sister cities. That's an Annual Conference - held once a year in July in a gorgeous destination city - and with hundreds of Sister City supporters, government officials, and Sister City leaders from around the globe. The conference is a place for networking, sharing, learning, and fun.

During the conference Tanzania was presented well by Deogratias Rutabana and Eslum Tucker . The Embassy of Tanzania in Washington, DC provided most of the materials used to demonstrate Tanzania which included the Power Point slide, DVD’s, and brochures. Kansas City is the sister city with Arusha.

Northern Ireland hosted the Friday night reception because they will host the 2009 annual conference in Belfast from July 29-August 1, 2009. Irish food, dance, music and fabulous Irish hospitality were abound!

Meetings concluded on Saturday at the Westin Crown Center Hotel and everyone gathered for the Kansas City Jazz Experience Gala in the Westin Ballroom and celebrated Kansas City style! Bebop, Blues and Big Band music played throughout the night, and mingling with old and new friends made thoughout the conference made this a memorable night.

PRESIDENT KIKWETE MEETS THE WORLD LEADERS IN HOKKAIDO TOYAKO JAPAN, 2008 G8 SUMMIT

President Kikwete with the president of the United States of America Mr George W. Bush

President Kikwete with the world bank president Mr.Robert Zoellick

President Kikwete with the prime minister of Japan Mr. Yasuo Fukuda

Presdent Kikwete and the Chancellor of German Madam. Angela Merkel

President Kikwete with the prime minister of the United Kingdom Mr.Gordon Brown
President Kikwete with the prime minister of Canada Mr. Stephen Harper

President Kikwete with the president of Rusia Mr.Dmitry Medvedev

KIKWETE LEADS AFRICAN TEAM TO TALKS WITH G8

Food and oil crises, climate change and attainment of Millennium Development Goals top the agenda as African and G8 leaders meet Monday.
The African Union chairman, President Jakaya Kikwete, who leads a team of seven African presidents was to arrive in Hokkaido today, a northern city in Japan hosting the three-day Group of Eight summit.
Other African leaders attending the summit are Thabo Mbeki, (South Africa), John Kufuor (Ghana), Umaru Yar'Adua (Nigeria), Abdelaziz Bouteflika (Algeria), Abdoulaye Wade (Senegal) and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
African Commission chairperson Jean Ping is also expected at the summit.
Mr Kikwete is expected to press the need for rich countries to deliver on their promises to Africa, a State House statement availed to The Citizen notes.
Food and oil crises, climate change and attainment of the Millennium Development Goal are so far the scheduled agenda for discussion when African and G8 leaders meet Monday.
Meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland three years ago, G8 leaders promised additional aid for Africa totalling $25 billion by 2010. Very little has been achieved so far.
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Critics of the G8 summit initiatives are up in arms challenging leaders of Japan, the US, UK, Italy, Russia, Canada, France and Germany to keep their pledges.
"The question we are asking is: Will the G8 be giants or jelly when it comes to keeping their commitments to Africa" said Oliver Buston, a spokesperson of ONE, a new global advocacy and campaign organisation.
In a statement, released jointly with DATA, an advocacy organisation established by U2 singer Bono, Bob Geldof and other activists here in Hokkaido yesterday, Mr Buston challenged the G8 countries to play their part. Said Mr Buston: "Some G8 countries are setting a strong example. Germany, the UK and the US are cranking up assistance to Africa." However, in general terms the G8 countries are falling short of their $25 billion pledge as just $3 billion have been delivered so far, claim the two organisations.

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA JAKAYA MRISHO KIKWETE VISIT G8 MEETING IN JAPAN

PRESIDENT BUSH INVITES PRESIDENT KIKWETE IN THE US
By Freddy Maro in Toyako Hokkaido ,Japan July 8, 2008
The Us President George Bush has invited President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete to visit the United States next month with the aim of cementing bilateral ties between the two nations.President Bush announced the invitation during a joint press conference between him and President Kikwete held at the Windsor hotel Toyako, in Hokkaido, Japan during the on going G-8 summit."I am standing here with a great leader in Africa and a good friend of the American People president Kikwete. I would like to announce that he will be visiting us in late August. One of the impressive things about his leadership is that the help the American people have been giving to Tanzania has been effective in combating Malaria and AIDS," he said.The US President further said that he wants the American people to hear first hand how their generosity has benefited the people of Tanzania through intervention programs in combating Malaria and AIDS where thousands of lives have been saved ."These successes would not have taken place without your leadership," President Bush told President Kikwete.On Africa, President Bush said he has discussed a number of issues with the African leaders including Zimbabwe saying that most people in Zimbabwe were greatly disappointed the by election and he has spent a considerable amount of time during the G-8 summit to discuss the issue with African leaders.On his part President Kikwete expressed his appreciation for the invitation to visit the United States saying he was looking forward to it adding that the recent visit of the US president to Tanzania was a great moment for Tanzanians."The way a lot of people turner up to the streets to receive you Mr. President was a measure of appreciation of America's generosity to the people of Tanzania whereby through several intervention programs in combating Malaria and AIDS many lives have been saved," he said.On Zimbabwe ,however, president Kikwete said he was equally concerened with the suffering of people but insisted that the solution to the political crisis should be sought through dialogue by all political parties saying that no party can govern alone in Zimbabwe and called on all parties to work together for the future of Zimbabwe.The Toyako Summit which Japan is chairing, is the largest ever G-8 in terms of the number of participating states, as seven African countries and an additional seven economies, including China and India were invited to outreach sessions.

LAPT TO CONSTRUCT TANZANIAN'S TALLEST BUILDING

Local Authorities Pension Fund (LAPF) will start construction of the country’s tallest building in Dar es Salaam in September, an official said yesterday. LAPF Civil Engineer and Senior Estate Officer Jamal Mruma told the 'Daily News' that construction of the 25-storey building is scheduled for completion in 2010.
He said the proposed building named Millennium Towers Phase Two was among projects being executed by LAPF. “This modern structure is to be built in Kijitonyama area,” he added. Mr Mruma said LAPF embarked on the project due to increased demand for office accommodation by many entrepreneurs. “We have been getting hundreds of requests by entrepreneurs,” the official said, adding that: “This is a very positive development in the economy. “When you see many people looking for space to rent, it means economic development activities are taking place,” he said.
He said the proposed 25-storey building would provide space for various facilities including offices, residences, conference halls, shopping centres, underground discotheque and restaurants. He said LAPF has set aside 101bn/- for the project in the 2008/09 financial year. Mr Mruma said LAPF has other real estate projects in Mwanza, Morogoro and Dodoma regions.

WILL TANZANIA'S CAPITAL EVER SHIFT TO DODOMA ?

By KARL LYIMO lyimok@gmail.com
Shifting the capital of Tanzania from Dar-es-Salaam to Dodoma is one of the longest government projects in the country’s 47-year post-independence history. It must also be one of the most erratic wishy-washy affairs.
The project was initiated by the late President Julius Nyerere in 1972, who liked Dodoma for its central location. The hope was that, centrally-basing the government and related public institutions — including diplomatic missions, international organisations and Tanzania’s development partners — would speed up national socio-economic development.
AFTER YEARS OF FALSE STARTS, THE project’s implementation seemed to take off in 1993. But, not for long. Successive governments under Presidents Ali Hassan Mwinyi and Benjamin Mkapa never particularly distinguished themselves in keeping the project rolling.
Indeed, some government offices were transferred from Dar-es-Salaam to Dodoma in 1996. Dar es Salaam appeared to be losing its official status as the nation’s capital. Dodoma also became the legislative capital, hosting parliament. However, Dar-es-Salaam remains home to most government ministries as well as foreign missions and is thriving commercially, socially and politically.
Construction of new, bigger and better offices remains vibrant. State House and the Premier’s Village are still regularly spruced up. And, although the Mkapa Government proclaimed on April 13, 1999 that shifting to Dodoma would be accomplished by 2004 and annual budgets for that continued to be disbursed, this is nowhere near reality four years past that deadline.
On April 19, 1999, the immediate past writer of this column, the late Michael Okema (God rest his soul in eternal peace), stated that “every Government, from that of Mwalimu Nyerere to that of President Mkapa, has pledged to move the capital to Dodoma … those pledges were not kept …”
NOTING THAT TANZANIA HAD CHANGED beyond recognition over the years, Okema said the government needed to revisit the whole issue of the shift to Dodoma.
Enter the Kikwete government in 2005 and 36 years after Nyerere broached the programme and prime Minister Mizengo Pinda throws a spanner in the works. Defending his office budget proposals for FY-2008/09 in Parliament on June 23, Mr Pinda said the government was organising a national debate on the issue. The premier added that legislation on proclaiming Dodoma the capital would be based on the debate’s results.
What if the debate is overwhelmingly against the shift?
And what is the point of staging a debate when attitudes of government officials are not changing?
Indeed, things have changed so much that the original reasons for the shift have shifted like the Sahara sand dunes.
For example, “Capital Dodoma” was conceived when Tanzania was a centrally-planned economy with clout on such matters.
Today, it professes a market economy, subscribing to market forces and private-sector driven development.
DODOMA IS STILL NOTED FOR ITS LACK of social and economic infrastructure, a major disincentive to private investment. If the government will not itself bite the bullet and shift bag-and-baggage to Dodoma, why should the private sector do so?
Some people say moving parliament to Dodoma has already contributed to its development. But will the shift ever happen?
Karl Lyimo is a freelance journalist based in Dar.