Frequently Asked Questions about the Tanzania Conference
- When and where is the conference?
- What is the objective?
- Do I have to be invited to attend?
- Who is participating?
- May I bring an advisor or advisors?
- Is the invitation to the addressee only and/or can I send a replacement representative?
- Who are the headline speakers?
- Can I be a speaker?
- What will be the output of the conference?
- How do I register?
- Does the IMF hold block bookings for participants? What are the preferred hotels?
- Will visas be facilitated?
- What are the working languages of the conference (and will interpretation and translations be provided)?
When and where is the conference?
The conference on the theme "Changes: Successful Partnerships For Africa's Growth Challenge" will be held March 10-11 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, co-hosted by President Kikwete of Tanzania and the Managing Director of the IMF.
The high-level conference will bring together some 300 policymakers and others—from Africa and beyond—with the common goal of forging a renewed partnership for growth in Africa. For the first time in decades, many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have sustained high rates of economic growth and rising income levels. The conference aims to draw lessons from these success stories to strengthen growth; this objective is all the more important as African countries face growing challenges from global financial turmoil and food and fuel price shocks. The participants will examine responses to the challenge of strengthening growth and work to renew a partnership—particularly with the IMF—for supporting growth in Africa in the 21st century.
Do I have to be invited to attend?
Yes, participation in the conference is by invitation only.
The organizers expect more than 300 participants—bringing together senior economic policymakers from Africa and beyond with representatives of the private sector, civil society, and private foundations. Kofi Annan will offer a keynote speech. Information on the conference will be updated regularly at www.changes-challenges.org.
May I bring an advisor or advisors?
Yes, each official invitee may bring one advisor to participate in the conference. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to accommodate more than one advisor per official invitee in the conference venue, due to space limitations. In particular, space is limited for the plenary sessions, for which each country delegation may be assigned only two seats. The organizers are exploring the possibility of relaying the proceedings live to other rooms in the conference venue. To facilitate registration, we ask that official invitees designate advisors in writing.
Is the invitation to the addressee only and/or can I send a replacement representative?
The invitation is to the addressee only. We will consider proposed replacement representatives on case-by-case basis. To facilitate registration, we ask that official invitees designate replacements in writing.
Who are the headline speakers?
In addition to President Kikwete and the Managing Director, we have received confirmations on participation from Kofi Annan, many senior policymakers from Africa and partner countries, business and civil society leaders, and leading experts on African economies from the continent and the world. A program with confirmed speakers will be posted on the web site shortly. Details on the conference will be updated regularly on the website.
Speakers on the conference program are by invitation only. However, all conference sessions are intended to include a discussion period which includes comments and questions from other participants.
What will be the output of the conference?
The conference organizers plan to issue both a statement at the end of the conference and a summary of the conference some time afterwards. More broadly, the conference is intended to contribute to the thinking and collaboration of its participants in meeting Africa’s growth challenge.
Invited participants may register at www.changes-challenges.org until February 20.
Does the IMF hold block bookings for participants? What are the preferred hotels?
Yes, details and bookings are available at www.changes-challenges.org, under information for participants.
Visas
All visitors to Tanzania from non-Commonwealth countries and certain Commonwealth countries are required to hold a visa. For those traveling on diplomatic visas, visas are provided gratis. For those traveling on regular passports, the government of the United Republic of Tanzania has agreed to waive visa fees for pre-registered participants to this conference.
Referral visas, which require authorization of the Director of Immigration Services or the assistant Director of Immigration Services in Zanzibar, are required for the nationals of the following countries: Lebanon, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Somalia, Afghanistan, Senegal, Mali, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Ethiopia, Syria, Egypt, Yemen, Morocco, Tunisia, Saud Arabia, Jordan, Sri Lanka, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Niger, and Liberia. The authorization process will be initiated once participants are registered and participants will be contacted if additional information is required.
All participants are encouraged to obtain visas from Tanzanian embassies/high commissions in their home countries, where available. A dedicated visa desk will be available at Julius.K. Nyerere International Airport (JKNIA) for pre-registered conference participants seeking to obtain visas on arrival. To expedite this process, a visa application form is attached which can be submitted to the officer at the desk on arrival.
Additional information on visa requirements can be obtained at www.moha.go.tz
What are the working languages of the conference (and will interpretation and translations be provided)?
The working languages of the conference will be English, French and Portuguese. Some conference documents will be available in the working languages, but some working documents may be available only in the original language.
