Preliminary Information Note for ADEA's Biennale on Education in Africa, March 27-31, 2006, Libreville, Gabon

Below you will find some preliminary practical information which will be of interest to you in view of your participation in the Biennale on Education in Africa. Click here to download the document on practical information in PDF format (34 Ko)

1. DATE AND VENUE The Biennale of Education in Africa will be held from March 27, 2006 at 6 p.m. to March 31, 2006 at 1 p.m. at the International Conference Center in Libreville, Gabon. The Caucus of African Ministers of Education will precede the Biennale on March 27, 2006 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the same venue. This event is open only to Ministers and their duly mandated representatives. International Conference Center, Cité de la Démocratie Libreville, Gabon Phone: +241 74 10 50

2. WELCOME AT THE AIRPORT The Ministry of National Education and Higher Learning of Gabon shall welcome arriving participants based on the flight information participants have communicated to the ADEA Secretariat.

3. ENTRY FORMALITIES FOR GABON Participants residing in countries where Gabon is represented by an embassy or consulate should obtain their visas prior to departure. For those participants whose home countries have no Gabonese embassy or consulate, the ADEA Secretariat will send you a letter from the Gabonese government confirming that your visa will be delivered upon your arrival at the airport. Participants unable to get a visa in their home country should bring this letter as well as their official letter of invitation with them as travel documents to be presented to your airline company at check-in.

4. HEALTH REQUIREMENTS Please make sure that you have and bring with you a valid yellow fever vaccine certificate; presentation of this document is OBLIGATORY for entry in Gabon.

5. PARTICIPANT ACCOMMODATION / HOTELS LIST In order be assigned a room in the hotels mentioned below and be charged the preferential rates arranged for the occasion, your reservation must be made by the ADEA Secretariat. The Secretariat's contract with the hotels as well as the limited number of rooms requires us to assign rooms in different hotels to participants in advance and request that participants not change their reservations. ADEA has booked rooms in the following hotels: 1. Hôtel Le Méridien Re-Ndama Boulevard de l'Indépendance, Libreville Tel.+241 76 61 61; Fax +241 74 29 24 Payment options: cash (FCFA, €, US$), VISA, MC, AmEx, Diner's Club, Traveler's Checks (€/US$) 2. Hôtel Novotel Libreville Rapontchombo Boulevard de l'Indépendance, Libreville Tel. +241 76 47 42; Fax +241 76 13 45 Payment options : cash (FCFA, €, US$), VISA, MC, AmEx, Diner's Club 3. Hôtel Intercontinental Boulevard de Nice, Libreville Tel. +241 73 20 23; Fax: +241 73 16 29 Payment options: cash (FCFA, €, US$), VISA, MC, AmEx, Diner's Club, Traveler's Checks (€/US$) 4. Hôtel Atlantique Across from the Libreville Airport Tel. +241 73 24 30; Fax +241 73 24 36 Payment options: cash (FCFA, €, US$), VISA, MC, AmEx, Diner's Club, Traveler's Checks (€/US$)

6. REGISTRATION Upon arrival in Libreville, please present yourself at the ADEA welcome desk located in your hotel lobby in order to complete the registration process and receive your badge, the conference kit and program. Only the ADEA welcome desk can provide your room key, following your arrival and registration.

7. ACCESS TO MEETINGS AND SECURITY At registration at the welcome desk in your hotel lobby, you shall be given a badge with your name on it, to be worn at all times. This badge will allow you to access the Conference Center where the Biennial Meeting shall take place, as well as all side meetings. You will be asked to present this badge in order to access official Biennale lunches, receptions and dinners. For your personal security, please observe the following rules: Do not leave your laptop computer, mobile phone or other personal items unattended Follow the instructions given to you by security personnel, Ministry of Education personnel and ADEA staff at all times.

8. NO SMOKING POLICY Conference Center meeting rooms are smoke-free areas.

9. COMMUNICATION SERVICES Free access to the Internet will be available to participants at the Conference Center.

10. EXCHANGE RATE AND BANK TRANSACTIONS The UN official exchange rate is 542.48 CFA francs for 1 $US (February 2006 rate). The rates offered by banks on site may be different from the UN official rates. Holders of major credit cards will be able to withdraw cash from the ATM machines in the airport or at the major banks in town.

11. EXCHANGE RATE AND BANK TRANSACTIONS A medical team will be present on-site at the Conference Center during the Biennial Meeting for the administration of emergency first-aid.

12. INTERNATIONAL AIR TRAVEL If you have not yet done so, we highly recommend that you book your air tickets immediately, as flights for Gabon are very full already for this period. As soon as you have reserved your flights, kindly transmit the following information to the ADEA Secretariat: dates and times of arrival and departure, flight numbers and airline. The ADEA Secretariat will help you to reconfirm your return flights following the Biennial Meeting. When you register at the welcome desk in your hotel lobby, you shall receive a flight reconfirmation form with which to make your request. Please note that the ADEA Secretariat will not handle return flight modifications.

13. TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM THE AIRPORT Gabon's Ministry of National Education and Higher Learning will provide transportation for participants from Libreville Airport to the different hotels and departure transfers from the different hotels to Libreville Airport.

14. LOCAL TRANSPORTATION The Ministry of National Education and Higher Learning of Gabon will organize the daily transportation of participants from the different hotels to the Conference Center.

15. TAXIS During your stay in Libreville, you can also use taxis to get around. Libreville taxis are either red and white or purple and white in color. Fares vary according to your destination; there are no fare meters. You can either: Pay for the entire fare ("la course" in French) for a rate of 1000 FCFA (except when going to the airport of the Atlantique Hotel where fares come to 2000 FCFA)/ This means you travel by yourself in the taxi. Otherwise, you can share the taxi with other passengers and in this case, fares start at 100 FCFA for short distances. The fare from Libreville to the Conference Center is around 2000 FCFA. At night, taxi fares tend to double in price.

16. WEATHER Temperatures at the end of March are on average around 28-30° C (80° F), with a chance of rain.

17. ELECTRICITY Electric current: 220 volts.

18. TIME ZONE Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) + 1 hour.

19. EXPLORING LIBREVILLE Below are some suggestions if you should like to explore Libreville : - The beach : we recommend the beach near the Atlantique Hotel (near the airport)for bathing - The "quartier Louis" neighborhood, a lively place with many restaurants - The two traditional arts markets ("marché artisanal" in French) in downtown Libreville ("Centre Ville") - The Libreville Museum (Le Musée de Libreville) - The Sibang Arboretum, located five kilometers from Libreville, features most of the tree species present in Gabon's rainforests. The arboretum offers daily guided tours with forest rangers. - Pointe Denis, a seaside resort, lies on a peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gabon Estuary.You can take a 30-minute boat ride from Libreville to Pointe Denis on Saturdays and Sundays.

20. LIBREVILLE RESTAURANTS The restaurants below are rated as follows: * under 10.000 FCFA/person ** between 10.000 FCFA and 20.000/person *** over 20.000 FCFA/person Near the Hôtel Atlantique * Tivoli ** Dakota ** Tropicana Near the Intercontinental Hotel (The closest area is the "quartier Louis" - Libreville's most lively neighborhood with many restaurants and discotheques.) * La Costa Sylvia * La Tonquinoise * Papa Union 1 et 2 ** Grillardin ** L'Indochine ** L'étoile d'Or ** La Mangrove ** Les Arcades ** L'Odika *** L'épicurien On the beach ** La Dolce Vita ** La Maringa ** Pizza Da Dino *** Ambroise Near the Meridien and Novotel Hotels * La Marmite Bantu ** Chez Marcelline ** Le Marquisat *** Le Pescadou