THINKING ALOUD: There is a need to reappraise our embassies’ performance

What you need to know:

This is an excellent idea, and I would like to believe that Tanzanians living abroad seize every opportunity to promote their country’s tourism wonders. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to team up with our embassies there. WHY?

Recently, the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) managing director, Ms Devota Mdachi, requested Tanzanians living abroad to team up with ambassadors accredited to the countries where they live to market and otherwise promote local attractions in a bid to increase tourist inflows into Tanzania.

This is an excellent idea, and I would like to believe that Tanzanians living abroad seize every opportunity to promote their country’s tourism wonders. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to team up with our embassies there. WHY?

In a recent event, President Magufuli expressed dissatisfaction with how our embassies are functioning. I agree with him.

There is some improvement in Tanzania regarding how civil servants work nowadays. But it seems to be business as usual in our embassies – and the Hapa Kazi Tu spirit is yet to imbue our embassy staff abroad.

Foreign investors invariably contact our embassies first and foremost to obtain information. But, try to contact any of our West-based embassies – and there will rarely be a response.

Indeed, our ambassadors and their aides have to become more efficient, discarding the business as usual attitude. Specifically, they must be more proactive, convincing potential investors to invest in Tanzania. They should prepare PowerPoint presentations of the business opportunities, starts-up processes, ease of doing business, etc., in Tanzania.

Prospective investors should be linked with the right people and agencies in Tanzania to minimise red tape. Indeed, being friendly, polite and reassuring is pivotal to success here.

The “doing business” modus operandi has drastically changed. There is greater reliance on information technology. To attract investors, websites should be regularly upgraded and updated with new information and success stories routinely posted. Most of our embassies’ websites are not updated, with some still posting 2012 reports. This has to change.

An example of business as usual mindset: when Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa (pictured) met with Tanzanians in Toronto, the turnout was pathetic; a YouTube clip showed less than 100 people attended, out of the legions of Tanzanian Diasporans in Canada.

In fact, there are many potential Tanzanian investors in the Diaspora, and if there had been proper mobilisation, the premier’s audience would have been much bigger – and the impact stronger, far-reaching.

Developing countries badly require foreign direct investment (FDI) and increased market access for their goods and services to help grow their economies. Embassies must play a key role in attracting FDI.

Viewed in that context, devoting a percentage of GDP to improving the chances of securing much-needed investments, broader export market access and developmental aid constitute a worthwhile outlay.

But diplomacy and managing relations among countries isn’t run-of-the-mill business over the counter. Although economic and commercial interests are a major factor, diplomacy is about more than just dollars and cents. Indeed, it is as much about form and symbolism as it is about substance.

Establishing and maintaining an embassy is a clear sign to the host government of a commitment to deepening bilateral relations.

The chef de mission is the ambassador. Broadly speaking, the ambassador’s tasks are threefold: diplomatic, ceremonial and administrative. But, apart from these functions, embassies should also facilitate and coordinate economic activities relating to trade, investment and tourism, as well as mobilize aid and technical assistance.

The prominent French jurist Alain Plantey summed up the task of an ambassador thus: “The ambassador must act with patience and firmness, with prudence and perseverance, not to be fooled by manoeuvres of distraction or intimidation.”

There is an ongoing debate in international circles whether we still need to have embassies all over the world in these times of ubiquitous information technology. Shouldn’t we have embassies in only a few strategic countries?

Indeed, embassies should evaluate themselves, and ask what value they are adding to the economy and general wellbeing of their country.

President Magufuli recently appointed Dr Wilbroad Slaa as an ambassador. In all fairness, and without prejudice, I suggest Dr Slaa should be tasked with reviewing how our missions abroad function – hopefully coming up with better ways of performance and appraisal.