By Samuel Kamndaya, Zanzibar
An Afro-Arab agriculture conference, which was due to take place in Zanzibar, has been cancelled. The cancellation of the 'Africa and Gulf Investment Conference on Agriculture (AAAIC) 2009', which was scheduled to start yesterday, was due to the Government's refusal to host it.
The organisers of the three-day conference said yesterday that they were looking for another state to host it. The conference was initially set for last May but was postponed to this month before the Government withdrew at the eleventh hour.
Efforts to get a Government official to comment on the development proved futile. The Government withdrew from hosting the conference without stating any reasons.
"Following long and tenuous discussions with the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania and the Tanzania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we regret to inform you that the Africa Arab Agro-Investment Conference 2009 (AAAIC) has been put on hold by the Government of Tanzania," said the organisers.
They declined to disclose the cost implications of postponing the conference but said all registered participants had been informed in advance of the postponement.
Qatar, UAE and Ghana have now offered to host the AAAIC and negotiations are already underway. Despite acceptance by Zanzibar's in May to host the conference, the ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on September 9 wrote to the organisers saying Tanzania could no longer be its venue.
"We would like to reiterate the Government's stance that Tanzania cannot be the venue for the said conference," reads a letter in part sent to the organisers.
"Following the meeting on the 9th of May, 2009 between representatives of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania and the ESSB, we advise the First AAAC to be held in Zanzibar from 28th to 30th September 2009," reads in part a letter to ESSB, from the State Minister responsible for Finance and Economic Affairs, Dr Mwinyihaji Makame.
