The global financial turmoil and the food and fuel price shock pose serious challenges. But the continent's long-term growth outlook remains positive, holding out the prospect of making decisive headway in reducing poverty. This changing landscape has prompted President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn to convene a major international conference in March 2009 to discuss how Africa can sustain and build on its recent economic success. The conference, which will be held on March 10-11, 2009 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, will be built around the theme "Changes: Successful Partnerships for Africa's Growth Challenge."