Acting Under Secretary for Political Affairs John Bass recently travelled to Chad and Tanzania as part of United States’ ongoing effort to understand the impacts of wider regional conflicts on important partners, as well as to address the needs of the Chadian and Tanzanian people.
“Chad as a country has been afflicted by conflicts inside Chad and in neighboring countries for most of its history,” said Under Secretary Bass.
“And that has undercut the ability of the government and the people to invest properly in their own development and in society. And so we’re really focused, as we have been for many years, as a partner of the Chadian people in helping create new opportunities for the people of the country to realize a better future.”
The Chadian Government is hosting an estimated 625,000 refugees, principally from Darfur. “We have been providing enormous amounts of humanitarian assistance to help ensure that the burdens of caring for many of the people displaced by the conflict in Sudan do not fall on the people and the government of Chad,” said Under Secretary Bass.
“We are also investing in agricultural sustainability and in helping Chad deal with some of the significant security challenges it faces.”
“Tanzania,” said Under Secretary Bass, “is a vibrant, robust society with a young population that is yearning for opportunities to lead fruitful, productive lives:”
“We’ve seen some important opportunities as Tanzania is moving towards a more free market economy and we think there are enormous opportunities for Tanzania and the United States to expand and deepen our commercial relationships, our trade and investment relationships. ... We are continuing a generational investment in the people of Tanzania through PEPFAR. We have recently signed a threshold agreement through the Millennium Challenge Corporation to explore some enormously impactful investments that will help further grow [the] Tanzanian economy.”
“Africa is an enormously important country today and in the future,” said Under Secretary Bass. “In 2050, 1 in 4 people on the planet will be a citizen of a country in Africa. And we are committed to working closely with all of our partners and friends on the continent to create better, stronger opportunities for the people of the continent to live in peace, dignity, and with greater prosperity.”
