PREPARATIONS for the International Conference on Aids and STIs in Africa (Icasa) set for December 4 to 9 have gone a gear up with organisers considering setting up a local secretariat to give impetus to the day-to-day running and organising of the conference.
The conference, which is expected to draw 12 000 delegates, will run under the theme Aids is not over: Address inequalities, accelerate innovation and inclusion.
Speaking at the Icasa 2023 second international steering committee meeting in Harare on Thursday, Health and Child Care minister Constantino Chiwenga in his speech read on his behalf by his deputy John Mangwiro reiterated government’s support for the conference.
“As Zimbabwe, our commitment still stands and we believe with our support this conference will be a success for Africa,” Chiwenga said.
“As we continue to mobilise resources in cash and kind, we are ready to receive you in your numbers in the spirit of not leaving any one behind in the fight against HIV and Aids.”
Chiwenga said Icasa should guide Africa on how to end Aids.
“This conference must guide us as a continent on how we will end Aids by 2030,” he said.
“This is very important. The fact that we are able to gather and look forward and move things as Africa is very important. This will reduce dependency on other sides of the earth.
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“As Africa, we must design our own solutions to end diseases basing on the existing knowledge we already have.
“We must assist each other as African countries in health strengthening systems which is cost effective and efficient.
“So before we run to other continents, let us look into ourselves so that we become strong as a continent.”
Coordinator of the permanent secretariat of Society for Aids in Africa and director of Icasa Luc Armand Bodea said preparations for the conference were well on course.
“We can tell you that at this stage we are at 50 to 55% ready for December 2023,” he said.
Bodea said the fact that Icasa 2023 has the blessing of President Emmerson Mnangagwa showed the level of commitment that the host country’s leadership has.
National Aids Council (Nac) CEO Bernard Madzima said one of the deliberations from international steering committee meeting was the setting up of a local secretariat.
“The other agenda was also to set up the local secretariat for Icasa and to set up the international secretariat,” Madzima said.
“The international secretariat is headed by the minister of Health and Child Care who is going to be co vice-president of Icasa 23, Retired General Chiwenga and the National Aids Council CEO, myself, I will be the head of local secretariat.”
Madzima said discussions also centred on the budget for Icasa 2023, with funding coming in through the scholarships, registration of participants, government and Nac.
Pre-conference meetings schedules have been finalised with one of them slated to take place in Victoria Falls soon.
The Nac boss said a pre-conference on health financing, which will be led by the Finance and Economic Development ministry was also on the cards.
“The other pre-conference will be youth and the head there will be the Ministry of youth,” he said.
