Organised by the prestigious Boston University based African Presidential Archives and Research Centre (APARC) The conference, which was under the theme 'The Leadership Challenges of Land Reform in Africa', was held in Berlin to commemorate the 125th anniversary
of the Berlin Conference of 1884 which saw colonial powers partition Africa in
what is popularly referred to as the scramble for Africa.

Former African leaders who participated
in the conference included Tanzania's Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Aristides Maria
Pereira of Cape Verde, Karl Auguste Offmann of Mauritius and Ghana's John
Agyekum Kufuor. The rest are Frederick Sumaye of
Tanzania, Nicephore Soglo of Benin, Sir Ketumile Masire of Botswana, Cassam
Uteem of Mauritius and Festus Mogae of Botswana.