SHARJAH — Mauritius President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim will be the principal guest of honor at the 7th edition of the International Government Communication Forum (IGCF) in Sharjah. The high-profile event will be held under the patronage of Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, on March 28-29 at Expo Centre Sharjah. Ameenah 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 about 860 km off the Island of Madagascar. 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. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim said: “I would like to thank His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah 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,” Gurib-Fakim added.