Ambassador Speeches
Remarks by Ambassador Martinez at the Media Breakfast for USAID Economic Growth Partners
LusakaJanuary 23, 2007
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, my colleagues from the Embassy
and the U.S. Agency for International Development, and all of our
partners who are assisting the US Government and the people of Zambia
to achieve meaningful economic growth for all Zambians.
It is
indeed a pleasure to have this opportunity to be with so many members
of the press corps today. I am an avid consumer of news, and have
always been somewhat in awe of the effort required – day in and day out
– to publish newspapers and magazines, or produce television and radio
broadcasts. Your readers depend upon the newspapers every day. They
anticipate the publication of informative monthly magazines - and when
they turn on their televisions and radios they expect to view or hear
their favorite news programs. Your audience in Zambia is large. When
one considers the global outreach of your Internet web sites, the
audience is potentially enormous. Not only do you inform and entertain
your Zambian audience, but also you serve as the world’s window on
Zambia.
We often refer to the press as the Fourth Estate. That
puts you in very impressive and powerful company: the State House,
Parliament, and the Judiciary. With readers and listeners hungry for
the objective presentation of the news – locally and globally – you
carry a heavy burden of responsibility. Based on what you write and
broadcast, we, your readers, viewers and listeners form our opinions
about Zambia. When potential investors consider Zambia as a country in
which to place their resources, they form many of their opinions about
Zambia.
As the U.S. Ambassador to Zambia, I require reliable
information to help me understand the attitudes of the Zambian people
and be more effective in representing the US Government and provide
assistance to Zambia in collaboration with your government. In large
part, that information comes from the press.
By accurately and
objectively crafting unbiased stories for the consumers of your news,
you allow people to make important, life changing decisions – how they
invest, what they buy, what they believe and how they vote – oh yes,
and what movies they see at Arcades. I applaud all of you for electing
journalism as your careers.
This breakfast briefing was
organized to familiarize all of you with various programs supported by
the U.S. Government that are designed to foster accelerated economic
growth in Zambia. Our goal is to introduce you to these activities so
that you are aware of the full array of opportunities for newsworthy
stories that attract readers and listeners, and help you to accurately
and objectively report about our innovative and exciting programs.
This
morning, we will not go into great depth about the details of our
assistance to promote accelerated economic growth for Zambia – but we
will give you brief overviews on each of our six projects that together
promote increased competitiveness, job creation and poverty reduction.
We trust that this exposure will whet your appetites for further
stories in the future.
Our Economic Growth Team at USAID targets
increased private sector competitiveness. When the private sector is
more competitive, products are more affordable, more desirable, and in
higher demand than alternative products in domestic and international
markets. The result is increased trade, leading directly to job
creation and better incomes across the society - from the small farmer
to shop keepers and manufacturers. When Zambia is more competitive,
Zambia does more business and when Zambia does more business, the
Government is able to broaden its tax base and pay for services that
contribute to social welfare – meaning better schools, better health
care, better roads, the expansion of electricity and more clean water.
Everybody wins when Zambia is better able to compete in the domestic
and international marketplaces.
This morning, while we are
enjoying our breakfast, you will hear about activities that have been
designed to make Zambia more competitive. You will hear about programs
that promote increased efficiencies regarding the costs to deliver
goods and services to consumers. You will get a taste of what US
Government supported programs are doing to make financing more
affordable and more accessible to producers and agribusinesses. You
will learn about efforts we support to promote Zambian products in
local and international markets. You will get a sample of how our
programs support the adoption of improved technologies, and you will
learn about how the Zambian Government’s policies play an important
role in creating an environment that promotes competitiveness, job
creation and increased incomes.
In closing, I want you to know
that I am very interested in promoting Zambia products abroad. I am a
firm believer in Zambia’s potential to effectively enter international
markets and contribute to increased standards of living and social
welfare for all Zambians. I am currently working with my colleagues in
this room to identify products that will appeal to American consumers.
Among the ideas we are investigating are organic sugar, organic honey,
chili sauces, paprika, sun-dried tomatoes, and coffee – and I am sure
there are others. I sincerely believe that carefully selected products
that are of high quality, efficiently produced, and effectively
marketed, can reach growing markets outside of Zambia. I would
personally like to play a role in promoting uniquely Zambian products,
and over the coming weeks and months we will be visiting various
production and processing sites to determine how I can play that role.
We will keep you informed as we visit the sites.
Again – thank
you for coming this morning. Enjoy your breakfast and the presentations
to follow. We look forward to answering any questions you may have that
will assist you to better inform your audiences about our Economic
Growth programs.