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SASKTEL INTERNATIONAL MAKING IMPACT IN AFRICA

July 2007

 

Bill Beckman (center), CEO TTCL, tours the TDIF.

Glen Raboud and Lorraine Sikorski, part of the TTCL management team.

SaskTel subsidiary was recently awarded a contract to manage all aspects of the operations, maintenance and expansion of Tanzania Telecommunications Company Limited (TTCL) in order to improve the company’s financial, commercial and technical performance.

On the third day on the job, TTCL was recognized for having the best pavilion at the Dar Es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF or Saba Saba as it’s known locally), a major international promotional event organized by the Tanzania Board of External Trade.

Bill Beckman, the new CEO of TTCL was on hand to accept the award on behalf of the TTCL employees. He received the award from this year’s special guest presenter, namely Armando Guebuza, President of the African country of Mozambique. Bill was the only “Wazungu” (or white man as the locals playfully call members of the SI contingent) at the fair accepting an award on behalf of a Tanzanian company.

“It was an honor to accept the award on behalf of the employees of TTCL, especially since it is the employees who we will be relying on to make TTCL into the best communications service provider in
Tanzania,” Bill said.

Bill and his team (Daryl Godfrey, Lorraine Sikorski and Glen Raboud) have been busy meeting key stakeholders and working on developing a new strategic plan and new processes to improve
communications and empowerment for TTCL and the employees. Government and unions are supportive of the initial approach. “We may be a long way from Saskatchewan, but we are promoting the same message we do there, and that is that ‘Our focus is our customer, our strength is our people’,” said Bill.

The DTIF is focused on establishing global business partnerships and managing trade relations. It’s promoted as the “trade window” for betterment of Tanzania as well as other countries in the East, Central and the Southern African Region.

The DITF hosts more than 1500 exhibitors at the fair with many from overseas, representing over 18 countries.

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