PRESIDENT Jakaya Kikwete is expected to grace the opening of the 14th African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) to be held in Arusha from September 10 to 14.

Briefing reporters on the AMCEN in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, the Minister of State in the Vice-President's Office (Environment), Dr Terezya Huvisa, said the goal of the conference is to evaluate the agreements of the previous meeting held in Bamako, Mali last year.

"About 350 participants are expected to attend the conference. The number includes participants from AMCEN member states and those from the United Nations agencies," said the minister.

She said that the conference would be an ideal platform to promote investment opportunities in different sectors, saying hotels and transport companies would benefit from serving the guests who will have the chance to visit tourism attractions.

Dr Huvisa, who is the AMCEN Chairperson, said the conference would also evaluate the preparations on implementation of the agreements of the Sustainable Development Conference held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil on June 20 to 22 this year.

"As the AMCEN chairperson for two years, the country will benefit from getting financial support aimed to control challenges facing environment," she said.

The Minister pointed out that since the establishment of AMCEN in 1985, the country had tremendously benefited from participation in preparing and implementation of the regional and international programmes and plus various projects.

"For instance, we are currently implementing a five-year project worth 3.3 million US dollars to control challenges caused by climate change along the Indian Ocean in Pangani," she said.

She noted that AMCEN's mandate is to provide advocacy for environmental protection as well as to ensure that basic human needs are met adequately and in a sustainable manner, adding that the body ensures that social and economic development is realized at all levels.