Saturday, May 27, 2006
South Africa, Benin, Kenya, Djibouti slated to receive new ambassadors
Nominations to four ambassador posts in Africa – South Africa, Benin, Kenya, and Djibouti – were considered by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a May 25 hearing. Senator Mel Martinez, who presided at the hearing, said the nominees “bring a variety of backgrounds and skills to the table.”
Of the ambassador-designate for South Africa, Martinez said Eric Bost, an under secretary at the Department of Agriculture (USDA), “has a strong managerial background in the public sector and has been heavily engaged in nutrition and HIV/AIDS programs in Africa.”
Michael Ranneberger, nominee for U.S. ambassador to Kenya, is a Foreign Service officer with experience in Latin America and Africa. He currently serves as the U.S. senior representative on Sudan, an “exceptionally challenging” area over the last several months, Martinez said.
Gayleatha Brown, the nominated envoy to Benin, currently serves as the political counselor in Pretoria, South Africa. She has served in a range of diplomatic capacities throughout Africa, including time in Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Cote d’Ivoire.
W. Stuart Symington, ambassador-designate to the Republic of Djibouti, a St. Louis native, is a descendant of William Stuart Symington, the first secretary of the Air Force and former four-term U.S. senator from Missouri.
In an opening statement, Bost said his career in public service “has been dedicated to leading change to improve conditions for all individuals within society.” For the past five years, he has served as under secretary for food, nurtrition and consumer services at the USDA and has responsibility for 15 programs including programs providing low-income women, infants and children with nutritious meals.
His wife, Dr. Rose Mary Brownridge, is a senior international health officer at the Department of Health and Human Services and, he said, if he is confirmed as ambassador, “her expertise in HIV/AIDS will be an immeasurable asset.”
If confirmed, Bost said he will “press forward to expand our cooperation on prevention, care and treatment of HIV/AIDS and continue to address the nutritional needs of people living with HIV/AIDS.”
The other area to which Bost said he will give special attention “is the expansion of our cooperation in counterterrorism. … As ambassador, I would focus efforts on assisting the South Africans with their vulnerabilities, to include fighting corruption.”
Ranneberger said Kenya “has the potential to become one of the economic powerhouses of Africa if it fosters good governance and proceeds with economic reforms. Its role as a regional financial center and transportation hub are vital for the continent.” The country’s main challenge to good governance, he maintained, “is endemic corruption.” Even though the government has taken some steps toward reform, such as enacting legislation and pursuing some investigations and prosecutions, “dramatic action is needed to enforce the rule of law and to send a clear signal that corruption will not be tolerated.” Ranneberger said one of his priorities, if confirmed, “will be to promote good governance, specifically by combating corruption.”
Much of the 24-year Foreign Service career of Gayleatha Brown, ambassador-designate to Benin, has been in African policy. She cited her key objectives, if confirmed, as: combating global terrorism, bolstering Benin’s fragile democracy by encouraging political and economic policy reform, strengthening Benin’s democratic institutions and investing in people.
Economic growth in Benin, she said, is supported by the $307 million five-year Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact, USAID development programs, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and “potentially the African Growth and Opportunity Act, since Benin is AGOA eligible but has yet to take full advantage [of it].”
Brown said there is much good news about Benin, citing notable progress in health and education over the last decade; HIV infection rates relatively low compared to many African countries – less than 2 percent; and freedom of the press and free and fair municipal elections and the election of the current president, Boni Yayi, “in a process that was widely seen as free, fair, and transparent.” Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes led a presidential delegation to attend his inauguration.
Symington said Djibouti has used its pivotal position to increase the prospect for peace in the region. “As a member of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), it supported the reconciliation process for fellow members Somalia and Sudan.” The country hosts the only U.S. military base in Africa and is the headquarters for the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), which directs coalition operations in East Africa and Yemen as part of efforts to help stabilize the Horn of Africa.
He said, if confirmed, he will continue to work to help the people of Djibouti overcome the economic conditions that breed discontent and conflict. “We seek to block those who might exploit vulnerabilities, and we will continue to promote greater respect for human rights and democracy throughout the region.”
A career member of the senior Foreign Service, he currently serves as the State Department’s representative for the faculty on the National Defense University’s Joint Forces Staff College.
Prior to this assignment, Symington served as deputy director for the Office of West African Affairs at the Department of State and served in Baghdad, Iraq, as acting deputy political counselor. Earlier in his career, he served as deputy chief of mission in Niamey, Niger.
The four nominees must be approved by the committee and confirmed by the full Senate before they can assume their posts.
Source: U.S. Department of State, May 27, 2006
