Sharjah: Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, President of Mauritius, has been chosen the Principal Guest of Honour at the seventh edition of the International Government Communication Forum (IGCF) in Sharjah.
The event will be held under the patronage of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, on March 28-29 at Expo Centre Sharjah.
Gurib-Fakim was chosen “recognising her ability to successfully deploy communication, effectively disseminate her messages to the public and win the country’s presidency”, the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGBM) said.
Gurib-Fakim, a biodiversity scientist by training, is the first Muslim woman to be elected the leader of an African republic and president of Mauritius, a set of islands in the Indian Ocean home to around 1.3 million people.
She said: “I would like to thank [Dr Shaikh 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.”
Shaikh Sultan Bin Ahmad Al Qasimi, chairman of SMC, said: “We are honoured to have [Gurib-Fakim] at [IGCF] and look forward to hearing her speak about her pioneering experiences in the field of innovative government communication.”
