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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
PREPARATIONS for the 2023 International Conference on Aids and Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Africa (ICASA), scheduled for December next year, have started with authorities saying this is Africa’s opportunity to come up with homegrown solutions to its health problems.
ICASA is organised by the Society for Aids in Africa (SAA) and Zimbabwe is one of three countries that made a bid before the deadline of August 5.
The country got the nod to host the high level event where an upwards of 12 000 people are expected to attend both virtually and physically in Victoria Falls between 3 and 9 December 2023.
In keeping with ICASA’s mandate for nations planning to host the conference to have clearance from their Government’s highest authority before a bid may be legally considered, President Mnangagwa in September approved the bid to hold the summit when the ICASA board visited to assess facilities.
An international steering committee specifically selected to plan for the conference is having a two-day preparatory meeting which started in Victoria Falls yesterday, with participants from SAA, various United Nations agencies, non-governmental organisations, national aids councils from different countries including the Zimbabwe National Aids Council and communities among others.
Health and Child Care Deputy Minister Dr John Mangwiro who was guest of honour said the ICASA conference is a great milestone for the continent and Zimbabwe.
“The Government of Zimbabwe was so excited in that when the SAA assessment team came, President Mnangagwa and Vice-President Dr Constantino Chiwenga expressed their commitment that delegates will be safe and will be ready to support the conference in cash and in kind. That commitment still stands and people of Zimbabwe are excited,” he said.
Zimbabwe hosted ICASA in 2015 in Harare and Dr Mangwiro said that event came up with the Harare Declaration which together with other commitments made by the continent, should be fulfilled.
He said given the opportunity, Africans can have some solutions to problems.
“ICASA is our conference as Africans to address issues that affect us. Nothing for us without us. We are the continent greatly affected by the diseases. Southern Africa has the burden of HIV and Aids while Covid-19 affected all of us, South Africa the hardest. We still talk of ebola and we are talking of monkey pox.
“That’s why the scientific leadership and community programme committees must help us with solutions to some of the problems. We need to come up with our own homegrown solutions,” said Dr Mangwiro.
The conference is expected to market the country as a centre of excellence for provision of research and training in HIV and Aids as well as TB, and as a safe tourist destination.
Hundreds of direct and indirect jobs in the hospitality, transport, and security sectors are anticipated to be generated before and after the conference.
Locals in Victoria Falls usually benefit from such conferences through provision of various services.
SAA president Dr David Parirenyatwa said the first working document has been produced to give a clear direction on how the committee should work.
Yesterday delegates were put into three committees-scientific, leadership and community to start preparations.
“This meeting is primarily to map the way forward in terms of preparations for the ICASA 2023. This is an important meeting of international steering committee with people from various international agencies, NGOs, researchers, health professionals and communities,” said Dr Parirenyatwa.
He said this will be an opportunity for Africa to seek to end Aids by 2023, a goal which aims at zero infection.
Focus, he added, will also be on some conditions such as cancers, other infectious diseases and pandemics.
Dr Parirenyatwa commended Government’s commitment to hosting the conference.
“I wish to thank the strong and very visible role that President Mnangagwa has played. The commitment is very excellent and shows mature political will which is why different organisations have come together to map the way forward,” he said. – @ncubeleon
Online Reporter