His Excellency President Jokaya Kikwete of Tanzania has agreed to be the host of the Eighth International Tourism Conference organized by the U.S.-based Leon H. Sullivan Foundation. The conference will be held in Arusha, Tanzania in May of 2008. President Kikwete, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Foundation indicating Tanzania’s acceptance to host this prestigious conference.

The Leon H. Sullivan Foundation was established in his memory following Leon Sullivan’s death in 2001 for his efforts to promote the development of Africa, facilitate debt cancellation and training of Africans. Since its establishment, it has enabled 18,000 participants worldwide to go to Africa with the aim of building a bridge between Africa and United States.

Approximately 6000 participants from the United States and also from Africa are expected to attend the conference whose main topics will be tourism and infrastructure. Among the notables expected to attend is former President Bill Clinton of the U.S. Tanzanian Minister for Industry, Trade and Marketing, Nazir Karamagi will be discussing trade relations between Africa and the United States through the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA).