2008 Tutu Fellow Elsie Kanza PhD, the Tanzanian Ambassador to the United States, has met US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office at the White House. Elsie was appointed by President Samia Suluhu Hassan in May 2021 as one of 22 ambassadors, and in August of that year, assigned to the Embassy in Washington DC, one of the top postings in the diplomatic hierarchy. She met President Biden on 24 June 2022.
Elsie was formerly Head of Africa and Member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum. She has worked in various capacities in the government of Tanzania, including in the Office of the Presidency, the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank. In her role at the Embassy, she is also responsible for diplomatic connections in Mexico.
She has helped facilitate trade and high-level meetings between both the Tanzanian government and that of President Hassan, including a meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris and an open skies agreement between both countries.
Due to security around COVID restrictions, Elsie was unable to present her credentials in person last year, but obtained them in December by way of mail. This meeting was held between President Biden and a group of Ambassadors who arrived between August and November last year.
Report