Zimbabwe has been granted the privilege of hosting the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) flagship conference of African ministers of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development next year.
The 56th session of the ECA Conference of African ministers of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development is scheduled to be held from February 28 to March 5 in Victoria Falls.
Zimbabwe and Morocco expressed their interest in hosting the flagship event during the 55th session held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in March.
Zimbabwe will be the second country in southern Africa to host the event in 14 years, the last being Malawi in 2010. Morocco, which hosted the 2019 edition, had hoped to host it in Marrakesh.
In a notice, the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development & Investment Promotion stated that ECA will be collaborating with Zimbabwe to organize the preparations for the conference.
“The MoFED & IP [Ministry of Finance, Economic Development & Investment Promotion] is inviting an internationally acclaimed event manager to assist in coordinating the preparation process for the hosting of the conference in Victoria Falls,” the ministry said in the notice.
Interested bidders are required to submit their applications by no later than 10 a.m. on October 27.
This will be the second UN event that Zimbabwe has hosted in four years, following the hosting of the 6th session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development in 2020.
Zimbabwe’s hosting of the UN flagship event coincides with the country’s efforts to grow the tourism sector by capitalizing on the meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibition (MICE) tourism.
The National Tourism Recovery and Growth Strategy emphasizes the promotion of MICE tourism as a fundamental component of the tourism recovery plan.
“The hosting of MICE activities such as Conferences, Events, Fairs, and Festivals has the potential to bring people and businesses together, thereby building trust and boosting confidence in the destination. Efforts will be made to have relevant organizations that had canceled or postponed scheduled international conferences reconvened in the future,” the document stated.
The conference of ministers convenes African ministers of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, along with experts and civil society representatives, to address pressing issues facing the continent and propose solutions.
