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| JCI African and Middle Eastern Conference Sets Records |
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The JCI African and Middle Eastern (Area A) Conference opened at the famous and ancient Ribat in Monastir, Tunisia, with 1,200 delegates, a record number for a JCI Conference in Area A. JCI Executive Vice President Jokotade Odunuga chaired the event from June 7 until June 10.
The Conference enjoyed the support of Tunisia's President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Several regional and local government authorities, among them Mr. Taïeb Hadhri, Minister for Scientific Research, Technology and Development of Competences, were present at the Opening Ceremony.
JCI President Lars Hajslund and other members JCI Board of Directors, including JCI Immediate Past President Kevin Cullinane, Executive Vice Presidents Scott Greenlee and Shoji Okuhara, General Legal Counsel Graham Hanlon, and JCI Secretary General Edson A. Kodama were introduced on stage. JCI Foundation Chairman Sonny Yu was introduced with his wife, Jennifer Yu, who was 1988 JCI President. Chief delegates, not only from Africa and the Middle East, but also from the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe, also went on stage.
Moncef Barouni, 1986 JCI President from Tunisia, the first JCI President from Area A, was not able to attend the Opening Ceremony but met with JCI President Lars Hajslund and others. Several other prominent past JCI officers also honored the Conference with their participation.
Delegates had the opportunity to admire the famous Ribat, where the opening took place. Built by Harthama ben Ayan in 796, the Ribat in Monastir is the oldest and most important of its kind in the Maghreb. Colorful presentations by local and African artists delighted attendees.
Setting training records
“We had successful Pre-Conference Training Programs here in Monastir,” reported Houssem Bel Hadj, JCI University Director, “In fact, we had four Prime seminars in French with 159 participants and one Prime seminar in English with 8 participants. JCI Designer was successfully conducted for the first time in Area A. We had two seminars with 33 participants." These figures are records for Area A.
“We also conducted the 8th JCI African and Middle Eastern Academy with 43 participants,” added Bel Hadj. In addition to the Prime and Designer seminars and the Academy, delegates had the opportunity to attend other 19 outstanding training seminars focusing on leadership, management, business, and training. “I am really thankful to all the participants and trainers who made the training program here in Monastir a great success,” commented Bel Hadj.
Memorable parties
In addition to taking care of JCI business, discussing multiple issues, establishing business networks, and receiving training, delegates found the time to enjoy numerous parties. They will long remember the joy and camaraderie they found at the Welcome Party on Wednesday, the Nations Night on Thursday, the Tunisian Night on Friday and the Closing Banquet at the Sahara Beach on Saturday
The experience of a lifetime
The 2006 African and Middle Eastern Conference was “the experience of a lifetime” for delegates thanks to the contributions of many people. The support of the government as well as that of JCI Board members, JCI Tunisia President Mounir Baatour, JCI Monastir President Tahar Allani, and JCI Tunisia members was no doubt a factor. The assistance of dedicated directors from the JCI World Headquarters was also valuable.
However, much of the credit is due to Executive Vice President Odunuga’s excellent chairing of the event, and the effective planning, promotion, and implementation carried out by Conference Director Jawhar Ben Fredj and his team -- whithout whom none of the Conference achievements would have been possible. Of course, a major contributing factor to the success of this Conference was the enthusiastic participation of everyone involved.
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