Professor Ngugi wa Thio’ngo to attend the sixth annual reading conference

A well known African novelist, a Kenyan born Professor Ngugi wa Thion’go is expected to be among the key speakers at the sixth annual Pan-African Reading for All Conference scheduled to take place later in Dar es Salaam. According to the Chairman of the conference preparatory committee, Professor Mugyabuso Mulokozi, Professor Ngugi would also be accompanied by Kenyan popular scholar in the USA Professor Ally Mazrui, President of the Pearson Foundation Nieker Mark and Patricia Edward, President of International Reading Association. Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete would be the Chief guest of the conference that is expected to attract more than 200 local and International participants. The event has been championed by Children’s book project for Tanzania Develop Literature Society, Reading for All Pan-African voice of literacy and other stakeholders.


Chairperson of the preparatory committee for Pan-African Reading Conference for All Professor Mugyabuso Mulokozi talking to journalists partly hidden during a press conference at Children Book project offices at Kijitonyama in Dar es Salaam. On his left is the Executive Secretary of Children Book project Ms. Pili Dumea.
This will be the first time for Tanzania to have hosted such a big event scheduled to take place next month from August 10 – 14, 2009 at the University of Dar es Salaam. The forum whose theme would be “Literacy for Community Based Social-Economic transformation and Development”, would involve different scholars, teachers, students, publishers, book-sellers, policy makers and other close stakeholders in book industry. About 204 topics had been submitted to the organizing committee of people who want to present their views at the conference, and among the key participants would come from the hosts Tanzania, Nigeria, Botswana, Morocco, South Africa, USA and Canada.

Professor Ngugi wa Thion'go, a Kenyan national living in USA would grace the occassion and also he is expected to launch his new book entitled remembering Africa.

Others would come from Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, Zambia, Rwanda, Malawi, Denmark, Australia, Norway, Swaziland, Australia, New-Zealand, Cameroon and United Kingdom. This is a historic meeting to take place for the first time in Tanzanian soil. According to Professor Mulokozi, Information, Culture and Sports Ministry has extended its hands in support of the event and institutions such as Barrick Gold Tanzania International Reading Association Pearson Foundation for Development through Education and Mirad foundation. The Pan-African Reading for All (RFA) Conference is one of the most exciting and most memorable literacy events on the African continent. It is organized bi-annually by the International Reading Association’s International Development Committee in Africa (IRA/IDAC) and the National Reading Association in the host country. The first edition was held in 1999 in the glamorous South African City of Pretoria. The second edition was held in Abuja in Nigeria in 2001. In 2003, the third edition was held in Kampala, the city of seven hills in Uganda. In 2005, the 4th edition of the Pan-African Reading for All conference was taken down south to Swaziland, commonly known as the Switzerland of Africa because of its scenic beauty and climate. The most recent edition of the conference held in August 2007 took place in the West African country of Ghana, known for its gold wealth.

Africa’s Public service day celebrated in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

ON 16th June 2009, Tanzania hosted the Continental African Public Service Day in a colourful celebrations that took place in the city of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This is an occasion that is celebrated by all African countries every after two years and is hosted in one of the African countries. In 2007 such celebrations were held in Johannesburg in South Africa. Apart from the continental African Public Service day, each country also celebrates this day in a way it deems fit for recognizing the role of the public service and ways of improving service delivery. At the national level in Tanzania the week long celebrations took place at Mnazi Mmoja grounds in Dar es Salaam, where a number of local and international participants took part in the historic event.


The entrance to Mnazi mmoja ground was opened to the general public, and a security guard of a private company was stationed at the gate by the side of a large advertisement conveying the message of the event. They were working by rotating on shifting basis to control the movement of the people.








Banana Zolo, a famous vocalist and an artist based in Dar es SAlaam on the stage entertaining the audiences who turned up at Mnazi Mmoja ground.

PUBLIC SERVICE MANAGEMENT CELEBRATIONS IN TANZANIA

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This is Mnazi Mmoja ground where the celebrations were held, the entire ground had been decorated with national flags of the various countries which participated in the celebrations. The invited guests were at the high table which was properly arranged in order.
The celebrations were preceded by the procession organized by public servants from various government Ministries and their institutions which ended at Mnazi Mmoja grounds whereby they were received by Deputy Zanzibar Chief Minister of the Zanzibar’s Revolutionary government Mr. Ali Shamuhuna. Mr. Shamuhuna represented Zanzibar’s President Dr. Aman Abeid Karume who was supposed to be a guest of honour in these celebrations. The theme for the 2009 Africa Public Service day was “Fostering Partnership and Collaboration for Sustainable Development and Improved Service Delivery in Africa. The ultimate aim of the above event is to improve service delivery to the people.

PUBLIC SERVICE MANAGEMENT CELEBRATIONS IN TANZANIA

Tanzanian Police Brass-Band led the procession of government workers who trailed behind them slowly matching in groups formed in single file as they entered the Mnazi Mmoja grounds to start the celebrations.



Workers of Kenya government who adorned themselves in special red clothes also joined the procession in a similar walking style.




The guest of honour, the deputy Zanzibar Chief Minister Mr. Ali Shamuhuna walked down the VIP table to visit various pavilions to see what the exhibitors had displayed, he started to visit Kenya pavilion. On his right he is flanked by the Minister of State, Public Service Management Ms Hawa Ghasia. As he moved from one pavilion to another, there was a mass movement of the people who trailed behind him.
Africa believe that through the exchange of ideas and feedback from stakeholders, the occasion has contributed to a greater extent in the improvement of service delivery in African countries. Among the Tanzanian dignitaries who attended the celebrations were the Minister of State responsible for Public Service Management M/s Hawa Ghasia, and the Minister of State responsible for good governance, M/s Sophia Simba, and also from Pan-African level was a Kenyan Minister of State for Public Service who is also the Chairperson of the 6th African Ministers for Public/Civil service Hon. Dalmas Otieno Anyango who was accompanied by some officials and some Kenyan civil service servants also graced the occasion, apart from them were also Public Service ministers and representatives from other African countries.

PUBLIC SERVICE MANAGEMENT CELEBRATIONS IN TANZANIA

Shamuhuna was kindly received by a charming lady at the reception desk which was decorated by a photograph of the currently Kenyan President, Hon. Mwai Kibaki and later after having been briefed, he signed a visitor’s book, standing on his back is the Kenyan High Commissioner to Tanzania Hon Mutinda Motiso.






It was a good day indeed as Kenya’s pavilion shined with a red carpet along the corridor formed to separate both sides as though it was prepared for the President. It was also a good day indeed as most visitors including myself got the first glimpse of a famous and a popular Kenyan radio broadcaster, Mr. Leonard Mambo Mbotela as a master of ceremony kept inviting guests by sending messages through in a wireless microphone he held in his hand to the audiences at the pavilion. Mr. Mbotela became famous in his Swahili program known as “Je Huu ni Ungwana?” which literally means, “Is this action fairly treated”? The program used to target people who had bad character towards their colleagues. It was an interesting program which was used to be aired by the general service of the Voice of Kenya (Now known as KBC) in Swahili language. His presence had a gloomy aspect in it as most visitors could not expect him among Kenyan delegations in these celebrations.

PUBLIC SERVICE MANAGEMENT CELEBRATIONS IN TANZANIA

Visitors who had thronged at Kenya tourism pavilion getting information from exhibitors

An exhibitor from the Republic of Kenya distributing brochures to whoever enters through a temporary gate to the compartment where Kenyan delegation and their pavilions were located.

The event which was celebrated alongside Children’s day in Africa is said to be the most successful, because of the involvement of over 12 countries whose ministers for public service management participated in a two-day meeting. The countries are Kenya, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Nigeria, Burundi, Rwanda, Algeria, Namibia, Egypt, South Africa and the host Tanzania. Among other two countries Ministers were Hon. Prof E.G.Mukonoweshuru, Minister of Public Service, Republic of Zimbabwe, and Hon. Richard Baloyi, Minister of Public Service and Administration, Republic of South Africa and Aman Essawi Assistant Minister for International Relations, Ministry of State for Administrative Development. Apart from that, countries like Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe joined with the organizing country Tanzania in Public Service Management week long exhibition of their most governments’ activities at Mnazi Mmoja grounds where Tanzania was represented by 200 institutions including ministries and government agencies.

PUBLIC SERVIUCE MANAGEMENT CELEBRATIONS IN TANZANIA

The guest of honour visited other foreign pavilions such as that one of the Republic of Zimbabwe and South Africa respectively, and other local ones. The two countries also participated in this exhibition as part of Pan-African Public Service celebrations.





The national institutions responded well in the exhibition in which they showed different products and their activities to the visitors. The aim of the show of this kind was to provide opportunities for the participants to expose their experiences to let their visitors know of the basic activities they offer to their citizens and probably learn other things. Members of the public who responded to the show had time to walk around various stands to see for themselves various different items and the most crucial information about their firms as well as services their government offers to the general public. Quite a good number of them asked questions in a most quire way and enlightened on the possible ways on how to solve problems surrounding them.