Mr. James Shikwati, Director of Inter Region Economic Network (IREN), an independent think tank that promotes ideas and strategies geared towards causing prosperity in Africa and offers research and consultancy services will be Keynote speaker in the “Geological Resources and Good Governance in Central Africa” international conference.

Mr. Shikwati will speak on How Can Natural Resources Assist in a Country’s Development? in the conference hosted by the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) and supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The conference which will take place  on 24th and 25th September 2009 will bring various actors on board for a strategy of sustainable, transparent management and equitable distribution of natural resources and good governance.

Speakers in the conference will include:

*Badel Ndanga-Ndinga, Minister for Industry, Mines and Technology Development, Republic of Cameroon;

*Jean Marie Maguena, Vice President of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa, Bangui;

*Liberata Mulamula, International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, Bujumbura;

*Daniel Braun, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Bonn;

*Peter Buchholz, German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, Hanover; and

*Alamine Ousmane Mey, Afriland First Bank, Yaoundé, among others.