UPDATED: 16 Jan 2008 GMT
Speeches 2007
Signing Ceremony for USTDA Grant to Kilombero Sugar Company
Venue: U.S. Embassy, Dar es Salaam
February 15, 2007
Remarks by Ambassador Michael L. Retzer
Habari za asabuhi! (Good morning!)
Waheshimiwa Wageni Waalikwa (Honorable invited guests)
Mabibi na Mabwana (Ladies and Gentlemen)
Karibuni Ubalozi wa Marekani. (Welcome to the U.S. Embassy)
Asanteni sana kwa kua hapa leo. (Thank you all for being here today.)
I am pleased you could join us here this morning to witness a signing ceremony between the United States Trade and Development Agency and the Kilombero Sugar Company.
In the U.S., we have a saying, “If life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” This advice illustrates that you can turn any item into a positive resource—even waste that is a byproduct of producing molasses from sugar cane.
The grant I am about to sign, in the amount of $299,780 (approximately 401 million Tanzanian shillings) from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, will allow Kilombero Sugar Company to explore using waste as a source of power. The power produced will support both the plant's own production process and contribute to the national power grid. In fact, through this agreement, Kilombero Sugar will begin to produce ethanol for export.
The problem of waste disposal is avoided; production is enhanced; and the power supply of Tanzania is increased. That is what I call a “win-win-win” solution.
Alternative sources of energy play an important role in the future of power production, and not just here in Tanzania. As President Bush mentioned in his State of the Union speech last month, the United States is taking strides toward diversifying our domestic energy supply, developing new energy technologies and increasing the supply of alternative fuels.
We welcome this opportunity to partner with Kilombero Sugar Company in exploring these important options for the future of power production. The United States is rapidly accelerating the deployment of renewable fuels, and the sources will be diverse, including ethanol from corn, plant waste, and wood chips, biodiesel, methanol, and other alternative fuels. This will have a real impact on the environment as the increase in renewable fuels could cut annual carbon dioxide emissions by 10 percent, or around 175 million metric tons, by 2017. This would have the same effect as taking 26 million automobiles off the road today, producing tangible results to this serious global challenge of climate change.
New technologies such as ethanol production from by-product molasses waste and power production from sugar cane waste will create a future of both environmental stewardship and economic growth. On behalf of the American people, I am proud to sign this agreement to assist Tanzania in pursuing economic growth while simultaneously protecting the environment.
Asanteni Sana. (Thank you.)
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