African
visit successful and overwhelming—Manning
The Trinidad Guardian
Port
Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
02 11 07
PRIME
MINISTER Patrick Manning has sent a technical team,
headed by Andrew Jupiter of the National Energy
Corporation (NEC), to the Republic of Chad to help
develop the country’s energy sector.
The
move came at the end of Manning’s attendance
at the 8th Summit of the African Union (AU) in Ethiopia
and his official three-day visit to the United Republic
of Tanzania.
At
the end of the AU summit the PM met with President
of the Republic of Chad Idriss Deby.
A
release from Whitehall said yesterday that Deby
requested the meeting with Manning and was enthusiastic
about his offer of technical assistance to help
develop Chad’s burgeoning energy sector.
As
a result of these talks Deby proposed to accredit
his Ambassador to the United States to T&T at
the earliest opportunity for discussion to speed
up the co-operation.
Noting
the urgency of the need for assistance in Chad,
the PM undertook to send a special technical mission
to that country, headed by Andrew Jupiter, vice-president
of Business Development at the NEC.
This
is in advance of a proposed meeting of energy ministers
to be held in Port-of-Spain in the second quarter
of 2007,” the release stated.
Manning’s
visit to Ethiopia and the United Republic of Tanzania
ended on Sunday.
The
release quoted the PM as saying the trip was “highly
successful” and described as incredibly overwhelming”
the response from African leaders to his initiative
on energy co-operation.
In
addition to the President of Chad, Manning met with
President of the Republic of Benin Dr Thomas Yayi
Boni, director general of the Food and Agriculture
Organisation Jacques Diouf and Executive Secretary
of the Economic Community of West African States
Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas.
Manning
also spoke about energy co-operation in a January
31 meeting with Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic
Republic of Ethiopia Meles Zenawi.
Discussions
were also held on T&T as an economic model,
the restoration of democracy in Haiti, the broadening
of relations between the AU and Caricom and the
presence of T&T and Caricom nationals in the
Shashamane region, historically significant to Africans
here.
On
February 1 Manning began his three-day visit to
Tanzania and was greeted by President Jakaya Kikwete
in the capital Dar es Salaam.
The
release said: “Citizens lined the entire route
from the airport waving the flags of the two countries.
Later
that evening the PM called on the President at State
House for official talks, which was followed by
a gala dinner in his honour.”
In
his talks with Kikwete Manning discussed the enhancement
of the Economic, Technical and Cultural Cooperation
Agreement signed by former T&T prime minister
Dr Eric Williams and former Tanzanian president
Julius Nyerere in T&T in 1974.
Manning
also offered energy co-operation to Tanzania due
to its recent success in finding natural gas.
Kikwete
commended Manning on the part T&T was playing
in the eradification of world poverty through his
African initiative.
Manning
also held discussions with President of the island
territory of Zanzibar Amani Karume on tourism co-operation.
The
PM’s visit to Tanzania ended with a tour of
historical slave trading sites in Bagamoyo.
The
Trinidad Guardian
Tuesday 6th February, 2007
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©2006 The Trinidad Guardian. All Rights Reserved.
