By ASSAH MWAMBENE – Arusha

The Managing Director of the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC), Mr. Ephraim Mafuru has outlined five major areas of focus in his leadership, saying he is determined to restore AICC’s lost glory.
Speaking to an informal gathering of the AICC staff and a section of service provider yesterday, Mr. Mafuru said he will strive to ensure AICC becomes a power house in the convention Centre business in Africa.
He said his first assignment at AICC is to revisit the Centre’s Strategic Plan to see if it aligns with the vision and mission for which AICC was mandated to do more than 44 years ago.
“Our new challenge is to see how AICC positions itself against the odd of new market trends and advancement of science and technology” the newly appointed Managing Director noted.
Mr. Mafuru, who hosted a cocktail and dinner party for AICC Staff and a section of service providers, said his second priority will be to ensure that AICC does the basic things right.
“That is to say in few areas among many priorities, we will choose to do better and ensure value for money and put stringent measures in line with corporate governance” the MD noted.
He said his third priority will be to review the performance of each portfolio, ensure every individual understands that he/she is part of the AICC family, saying this necessitates the need to collaborate.
On the fourth priority area, the MD said will be to re-engineer AICC’s strategic choices’ based on the current market trends and modernize our facilities to compete with new entrants in the African continent.
The last priority, Mr Mafuru said will be to rebuild the AICC Brand and corporate identity, sense of belonging, organization cultural values that rally behind AICC image, this will be the role of every staff, notwithstanding the position or area of work, he said.
Mr. Mafuru was appointed on 9th February 2023 by Dr.Samia Suluhu Hassan, the President of the United Republic of Tanzania to be the Managing Director of AICC following the untimely demise of the former AICC managing Director, Mr Elishilia Kaaya two years ago.
AICC was formed in 1978 after the collapse of the former East African Community in 1977 with the mandate of managing ad developing the former EAC premises and to enhance Business tourism in Tanzania.
The Centre also manages Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre (JNICC) and operates under the purview of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation.