President to be chief guest at Sharjah forum

Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, president of the Republic, has been chosen as the guest of honour at the seventh edition of the International Government Communication Forum (IGCF) in Sharjah. According to the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGBM), the move recognises her “ability to successfully deploy communication, effectively disseminate her messages to the public and win the country’s presidency.”

The event will be held under the patronage of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, on March 28-29 at Expo Centre Sharjah. “She is an ideal example of a strong female leader who is highly educated and an excellent decision maker whose foresightedness has hugely benefitted her country with an estimated population of 1.3 million,” said the SGBM in a Press statement.

The President said: “I would like to thank Dr Sheikh Sultan for his kind invitation and utmost hospitality. It is always a pleasure to visit the UAE. This region of the Middle East has witnessed unprecedented progress and development over the past decades. It is testimony to what vision and leadership can do. It is my first time visiting Sharjah and I am looking forward to discovering it.

The theme of the conference is timely as we are witnessing tremendous progress in the world of information and communication technologies and how they are shaping media. The latter is in turn not only impacting the world of business through advertising but influencing elections. It will be interesting to hear countries experiences and share best practices. Views of the millennials will be interesting to hear.”

Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, chairman of Sharjah Media Council (SMC), said Gurib-Fakim’s “tangible scientific and academic breakthroughs and achievements, as well as her experience in communication, have enabled her to be heard, and she succeeded in winning the confidence of member of the country’s parliament in no time.”

Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed underscored that Gurib-Fakim is one of the most influential women in the world, and the third African female president after Joyce Hilda Banda, resident of Malawi, and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia.

He added that hosting her will enhance the forum, which has become a powerful platform for world leaders, influencers and senior officials to express their ideas, thoughts and vision about the future of government communication.