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.