Zimbabwe ready to host ICASA
Story by Abigirl Tembo
All is in place for the country to host the 22nd International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), which will take place from the 4th to the 9th of December in Harare.
Over eight thousand delegates are expected to attend the conference, which is the largest AIDS and STIs conference in Africa.
Standing in for the Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Douglas Mombeshora during a hybrid curtain raiser media briefing in Harare this Monday, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Aspect Maunganidze said the country is ready to host the prestigious event
“You are all curious to know where we are as far as hosting this conference is concerned. All government systems and structures are now in place, be assured that Zimbabwe remains a peaceful destination and your security is guaranteed. Zim will host 2 high-level meetings the first one is the African First Ladies which will be hosted by our First Lady Amai Mnangagwa who is also the ambassador of health and will focus on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission and then we will have the African ministers of finance. We are proud to be hosting this meeting so that we share our progress and also learn best practices from others,” he said.
ICASA 2023 President and President of the Society for AIDS in Africa, Dr David Parirenyatwa highlighted the importance of hosting the international event.
“There are huge benefits to the country by hosting this conference. Once you bring in so many people into the country, we are talking of thousands here to attend you are aware that a lot of monies are going to come into the country you are also exposing your country so that people can appreciate what your country has to offer in terms of tourism and other areas of interest,” he said.
It is the second time Zimbabwe is hosting ICASA, with the 2015 edition staged in Harare, attracting over 5400 delegates.
Zimbabwe won the right to host the event after a rigorous evaluation of two pre-selected countries out of five bids.
