Central Bank postpones meeting due to pandemic scourge
Steve Umidha @UmidhaSteve
Fear over the spread of coronavirus has seen Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) delay a high profile forum that was slated for next month, adding to the list of cancellations in the country since the first case of Covid-19) was reported in March.
The banking sector regulator said it had cancelled this year’s Afro-Asia Fintech Festival 2020 (AAFF 2020) following the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic and instead the forum will be held in July 21 2021.
The postponement, it said, followed careful consideration by partners and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) owing to the impact of the coronavirus and the utmost importance of the health and safety of the festival participants.
As the number of corona cases continue to climb, so too does the number of high profile conferences and events opting to relocate, postpone or even hang up the lanyards altogether, with this move denying the country much needed revenues from such conferences.
Global gathering
The pandemic had also seen the organisers of the third edition of Next Einstein Forum (NEF) Global Gathering, the largest science and innovation gathering in Africa, put the gathering on hold over health concerns of attendees.
“We have taken the difficult decision to postpone NEF Global Gathering 2020 to a date later this year,” Nathalie Munyampenda, Managing Director of the Kigali-based initiative said in a statement.
Another high-profile meeting, the 2020 edition of the biennial global event which was scheduled to be held at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) from March 10 to 13 with 2,500 delegates from 80 countries was also cancelled.
Also cancelled for similar reason is Human Heredity and Health in Africa consortium meeting that was to be held in Nairobi from March 8 to 13.
