Dar a no-go zone for residents ahead of visit by US President

Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam will be a no-go zone Monday when US President Barack Obama begins his official visit on the last leg of his one-week tour of Africa.

Normal activity in the city of nearly five million people has been turned upside down as American and local security teams leave nothing to chance ahead of the arrival of Mr Obama, his wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha.

The country’s airspace, according to a logistics document, will be closed two hours before Obama’s arrival and another two hours before his departure.

Obama will arrive at Dar es Salaam’s Julius Nyerere International Airport in the afternoon aboard Air Force One from South Africa, his second stop after Senegal where he began his tour on June 26.

Mr Obama, who is making his first major tour of the continent since his re-election to the White House in 2012, is accompanied by a large delegation comprising 400 State officials, 200 chief executives of American companies, 100 journalists and a 200-member presidential security team.

Weeks-long preparations to host the world’s most powerful leader have caused great inconvenience to Dar es Salaam residents.

Foreign Affairs minister Bernard Membe has warned the residents to “stay away from the city centre”.

He also asked travellers from upcountry to reschedule their trips.

Sections of roads leading to the city will be closed to allow President Obama and Michelle to attend at least 10 different events around the city.

The US leader flies back to the US on Wednesday afternoon.

Informal traders who normally hawk products along the busy roads have been cleared, and street families have also vanished in recent days.

Workers have laboured overnight to fill potholes, and key buildings and installations have been given a new coat of paint.

President Obama’s itinerary in Tanzania includes a bilateral meeting with President Jakaya Kikwete before holding a joint press conference.

Thereafter, the US leader will attend a roundtable meeting with business leaders and CEOs from the United States and Africa.

Later in the evening, President Kikwete and First Lady Salma will host their guests to a State dinner.

Michelle will visit the memorial site of the 1998 US embassy bombing as well as a performance by the Baba wa Watoto troupe, which serves underprivileged boys and girls.

On Wednesday, Mr Obama will begin his day by laying a wreath at the bomb blast memorial site before launching an electric power initiative for Africa during a site visit to the Ubungo power plant run by US firm Symbion Power Limited.

The same day Michelle will attend the African First Ladies’ Summit whose theme is “Investing in Women, Strengthening Africa”.

The tough security arrangements have been compounded by two other major international conferences taking place in the city at the same time and which are expected to draw in several more presidents and First Ladies from Africa and elsewhere.

Former US President George W. Bush, his wife Laura and Cherie Blair, the wife of former UK premier Tony Blair, are among the VIPs attending the Smart Partnership Dialogue and the African First Ladies’ Summit.

The Smart Partnership Dialogue meeting began on Friday and ends today, while the First Ladies’ summit, sponsored by the Bush Foundation and to be addressed by Mrs Obama, runs from Tuesday to Wednesday.

The two meetings alone will attract an estimated 3,000 delegates.