The African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Committee of Ambassadors welcomed their newest colleague, H.E. Mr. Jestas Abuok Nyamanga of the United Republic of Tanzania to their midst at the start of the 927th Meeting at ACP House on 20 February 2020.

Ambassador Nyamanga is a career diplomat who has served his country remarkably for over 20 years at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and abroad, after beginning his diplomatic career in 1999 as Third Secretary in the Foreign Service of his country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He then rose through the ranks of the diplomatic hierarchy to become Minister Plenipotentiary in 2013.

Over the course of his career, he has held the posts of Head of Chancery at the Embassy of the United Republic of Tanzania in Cairo, Egypt and Assistant Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Department of Regional Cooperation and Multilateral Cooperation, where he was responsible for issues pertaining to International Development Cooperation. He also served as Coordinator in the Office of the Chief Secretary of the President of the United Republic of Tanzania and Cabinet Assistant Secretary in the Office of the President, with responsibility for matters relating to Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security.

Most recently, from April 2018 until his recent appointment as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Republic of Tanzania, he held the post of Director of the Department of Europe and the Americas at his country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation.

In his maiden address to the Committee of Ambassadors (CoA), Ambassador Nyamanga highlighted the fact that Tanzania was a founding member of the ACP Group and spoke of his country’s continued commitment to the Group “…it has remained not only a faithful member of the ACP, but also an ardent, adherent advocate of its principles.”

Speaking of ACP’s achievements, Ambassador Nyamanga applauded his fellow ambassadors for their efforts to making the ACP what it is today and urged them to continue to work together, “…the reason why African, Caribbean and Pacific relations have achieved extensive and rich results is that all sides have adhered to the principles of equality, mutual respect, openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation. In fact, we respect each other’s core interests and major concerns and accommodate each other’s comfort levels. These principles are invaluable in our Group, especially at the current moment where the current international landscape is undergoing profound and complex changes and severe challenges to multilateralism and international rules. We have to uphold these principles and push them forward in our bilateral and global cooperation.”

Ambassador Nyamanga ended his remarks by saying that “…Forty-five years ago in the city of Georgetown, our founding fathers believed that ACP was our future; today we ambassadors here in Brussels feel that we are the future of the ACP. Let us now make sure that the future we want is the future we get – the ACP we want is the ACP we get.”

Dean of the CoA, Ambassador Daniel Evina Abe’e of the Republic of Cameroun, welcomed H.E. Nyamanga on behalf of this colleagues, acknowledging that with the Ambassador’s wealth of experience in diplomacy, that he would be of great value to the ACP Family as they pressed forward to conclude the ongoing Post-Cotonou Negotiations with the European Union.

Photos:Top: H.E. Dr. Patrick I. Gomes (L) and Chair of the Committee of Ambassadors, H.E. Teneng Mba Jaiteh of the Republic of The Gambia greet H.E. Nyamanga.

Below: H.E. Mr. Jestas Nyamanga

Click HERE for more photos of the session