State of the Map Africa 2023/Call for venues/Zambia
Livingstone, Zambia is ready to host State of the Map Africa 2023
Our vision
“Mapping each and every corner of Africa on OpenStreetMap, “ State of the Map Africa 2023-Livingstone will be an event where we celebrate the diversity of the OpenStreetMap community in Africa and the achievements. Zambia is among the developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa that have experienced high demand for geospatial technology. This event will bring together all OpenStreetMap Africa Communities and organizations using OpenStreetMap data to scale development in Africa by sharing their experiences in the use of geospatial data. In the bid to increase OSM usage and awareness, Zambia is the heart of Southern Africa and will bring together all Southern and other African countries so that they share their achievements and promote OSM both in government and private institutions.
Why Livingstone?
Zambia is a beautiful country with beautiful cities and towns. The country has an array of national parks, waterfalls, lakes, rivers, a rich history and warm people. Livingstone is one of the beautiful cities in Zambia. It is a few kilometres from The Zambezi River, the fourth-longest river in Africa. It houses the smallest National Park in the country, Mosi-oa-Tunya, adjacent to the Victoria Falls, one of the worlds’ largest waterfalls. Whether here to stay for long or not, accommodation facilities are varied in location and affordability. Places are easily accessible because of the town’s good road network. The people are friendly, welcoming and always wearing a smile.
Livingstone city, once the capital of the country before independence, is rich in natural resources. It was described by Dr. David Livingstone whose’ name the town is named after as providing views that must have been “gazed upon by angels in their flight”. Some of these natural resources make it a tourist capital. It is the main entry point by road from Southern African countries such as Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa.
Livingstone has a variety of outdoor activities to enjoy. Some of these spectacular outdoor activities that attract tourists to the town of Livingstone include white water rafting, canoeing, horse riding, bungee jumping, boat cruises, and quad bike riding. A variety of national parks nearby provide the opportunity to see some of Africa’s most revered wildlife, from elephants to lions.
The Livingstone Museum is worth a visit. It is the oldest museum in the country. Within its walls, the building showcases the story of Zambian colonialism and independence from a more nationalistic perspective, alongside a room dedicated to Dr. David Livingstone and information about Zambia’s 73 recognised tribes.
Livingstone is easily accessible both by air and road. Sitting only 15 kilometers from Victoria Falls and 5 kilometers from downtown is Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport. The road system in the country easily helps one to move to, within and through Livingstone easily.
Having the event in Livingstone will be an opportunity for participants to learn how Central and Southern Africa is embracing and using OpenStreetMap to put many people on the map as well as using it to implement many development programs as we continue living in a world adapting to exist amid Covid 19. We believe Livingstone is the best venue for next year’s State of The Map Africa event. Livingstone offers the best conferencing facilities, accommodation and easy movement within and out of the city with enough places for social activities.
Who is the Team?
Our team consists of the core members of the OpenStreetMap Zambia/OpenDataLab Zambia community with a diverse set of backgrounds. Our team has members who have attended previous State of the Map conferences and can replicate lessons learned at State of the Map Africa 2017 and 2019. One of the members has experience organizing the State of the Map Africa, State of the map world, HOT Summit and has been part of many international conferences. Our skillset will be leveraged to organize the best State of the Map Africa ever from conference activities to leisure activities. We are also going to work with the OSM Botswana community as a collaboration. You can contact us on opendatalabzambia@gmail.com or chombachishala13@gmail.com
Our team members are;
- Kambing’a Martin
- Chomba Chishala
- Kennedy Jomokela
- Marrein Kalapula
- Jonathan Maipambe
- Kachikoti Banda
- Gertrude Namitala
- Riley Moepswa
- Twiza Chongo Kaulule
- Choolwe Hamama
- Chabota Munachoonga
- Charles Chilufya
- John Chansa
- Matrin Kalunga
- Nasilele Amatende
- Deberah Kapemba
- Mbile Mushashu
When?
The best date for SoTM Africa 2023 is 15 th June to 17th June 2023.
Where?
The SotM Africa 2023 proposed venue is Avani Victoria Falls Resort in Livingstone. Avani is a luxurious 4-star hotel conveniently located only 4.8km from the center of Livingstone. Local tourist attractions such as Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, Victoria Falls Bridge, and Victoria Falls National park are not too far from the hotel.
The creative spaces at Avani feature flexible layouts, set-ups and an airy conference venue that is drenched in golden Zambia sunlight and has a capacity that can host 500 people with a number of meeting rooms that can be used for breakout sessions. The conference room is fitted with the latest technology to make all sorts of conference sessions run smoothly. Avani’s natural environment allows visitors to head on outdoor adventures or safari tours, or relax with cocktails overlooking Victoria Falls after their daytime work is done.
Dining facilities at Avani include a cafeteria. The hotel boasts a 24-hour front desk service. Hotel guests will appreciate the welcoming services of multilingual staff. Other hotel amenities include a gift shop/newsstand, hair salon, tennis court(s), coffee shop or cafe, concierge services, express check-out, laundry facilities, porter/bellhop and tours/ticket assistance.
Budget
| Items | Quantity | Unit price (US $) | Amount (US $) | Comments (US $) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | 3 days | 500 | 1,500 | This amount will cater for the main auditorium and breakout room for the 3 days period. |
| Catering | 300 people | 25 | 7500 | This will provide food for the participants during the 3days conference. |
| Scholarships | Southern Africa | The Southern African scholarship will enable more Southern participants to attend the conference by road. | ||
| 20 | 450 | 9000 | ||
| Rest of Africa | The scholarship will enable participants from the rest of Africa to attend the conference by air. | |||
| 12 | 1550 | 18600, | ||
| Sound System | 3 days | 200 | 600 | For edibility of sound during the conference |
| Pre-conference Marketing | 1 | 650 | 650 | This will ensure the conference is well advertised across Africa and the rest of the world. |
| Pull up banners | 4 | 300 | 1200 | To increase the awareness of the conference |
| Backdrop banners | 2 | 600 | 1600 | To accentuate the theme of the conference and different stakeholders during presentations and speeches and to encourage photo ops. |
| Teardrop banners | 2 | 200 | 400 | To easily grab the audience's attention to the conference venue. |
| T shirts | 300 | 12 | 3600 | For identification during the conference |
| Conference package | 300 | 12 | 3600 | Bag, Program Book, Pen, Name tag |
| Sticker | 300 | 1 | 300 | This will be given to the participants and attendees during the conference. |
| Photography & Video coverage | 3 days | 4500 | For live streaming, photographing and video coverage of the 3 days conference. | |
| Security | 3 | 120 | 360 | To keep law and order to ensure smooth proceedings of programs during the 3 days conference. |
| Internet data | 3 | 187 | 561 | For internet connection for the participants and attendees during the 3 days conference. |
| Cocktail (street party) | 300 | 17 | 5100 | This is for the social outing during the conference. |
| Volunteers | 15 | 25 | 375 | Help welcome, guide and register participants and attendees during the 3 days conference. |
| Logistics (Transport & Communication) | 1000 | Communication and movement for the local organizers during the 3 days conference. | ||
| Miscellaneous | 1 | 500 | 500 | For any unforeseen costs before, during and after the 3 days conference. |
| Total | $60,946 | |||
Accommodation
Accommodation in Livingstone is located within the town while there are quite a few options on the banks of the upper Zambezi River as well as close to Victoria Falls and on the edges of the Batoka Gorge, on the Zambian side. Accommodation facilities include luxurious hotels, riverside lodges and villas, and more economic bed and breakfasts, guest houses, camping and backpackers.Airbnb/Private homes are available throughout the city for as little as $10 per night and can also accommodate larger groups.
| Hotel/Lodges | Rates ($) | Phone | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asenga Executive Lodge | $50 | reservations.asengalodge@gmail.com | +260963774237/ +260213320447 | https://www.hotels.com/ho626988064?rffrid=sem.hcom.xx.156.020.localuniversal.02. |
| Chapa Classic Lodge | $30 | chapaclassiclodge@zamnet.zm | +260213322065/+260977796710 | https://www.chapaclassiclodge.com/ |
| Crossroads Lodge | $45 | crossroads@crossroadslodges.com | +260213322475 | https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g298089-d10660618-Reviews-Cross_Roads_Lodge_Livingstone-Livingstone_Southern_Province.html |
| Ngolide Lodge | $47 | ngolidelodge@gmail.com | +2602133210 | |
| Falls Way Lodge | $50 | info@kaazmeinlodge.com | +260213324646/ +260977324646 | |
| Wasawange Lodge | $50 | waslodge@zamnet.zm | +260213324078 | |
| Zambezi Ultima | $30 | zambeziultima@zamnet.zm | +260213320173 | |
| Avani Hotel | $165 | victoriafalls@minor.com | +260213321122/ +260978777047 | https://www.avanihotels.com/en/victoria-falls |
| Chrismar Hotel | $106 | booklvn@chrismarhotels.com | +260213323141 | https://www.chrismarhotels.com/chrismar-livingstone |
| Courtyard Hotel | $94 | mabel.courtyardhotelvicfalls@gmail.com | +260213320885 | https://courtyardhotel.com-zambia.com/ |
| David Livingstone Safari Lodge | $206 | res2@dlslandspa.com | +260213324601 | https://www.aha.co.za/david-livingstone/ |
| Golden Chopsticks | $47 | safariwildzambia@gmail.com | +260979491750 | https://ostrovok.ru/hotel/zambia/livingstone/mid8483354/golden_chopstick_hotel/?q=2170&guests=2&sid=ef8952da-95a0-4e92-b5a4-2b13d83e1346 |
| New Fairmount | $43 | nfhc_reservations@iconnect.zm | +260213320723/8 / 097 779431 | https://www.newfairmounthotel.co.zm/ |
| Oriental Swan Hotel | $53 | orientalswanltd@sina.com | +260213321831/ +260971546240 | https://www.orientalswanhotel.com/ |
| Protea Hotel Livingstone | $118 | reservations@phlivingstone.co.zm | +260213324630 | https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/lvili-protea-hotel-livingstone/overview/ |
| Warm Harbour Hotel | $47 | marketing@warmharborhotel.com | +260977666666 | https://www.warmharborhotel.com/ |
Transportation
Air. Livingstone has Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport. The airport is serviced by domestic, regional and international airlines. It is the third largest airport in Zambia. In total, there are 5 airports around the world that have direct flights to Livingstone, spread around 5 cities in 2 countries. These are Johannesburg, Lusaka, Nelspruit, Cape Town and Nairobi. There is one domestic flight to Livingstone which is from Lusaka. The longest flight to Livingstone departs from Nairobi. There are 5 airlines that fly to Livingstone. These include Airlink, British Airways, Kenya Airways, Proflight Zambia and Zambia Airway
Taxi: Taxi cabs are commonly available in Livingstone which can take people around the town and the surrounding areas. They operate 24/7 with very affordable amounts, from as low as 2$ to 11$ depending on the distance.
Buses: Big buses move from most towns in Zambia to Livingstone every day they are comfortable and affordable. There are many public modes of transport within the city and they take people to and from the city centre and township and they are affordable to use, bus fare is as low as $0.5. The minibuses have an Orange ribbon on them as a way to show that they are public buses.
Visa details
NO VISA
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) member States do not have to pay for a visa when entering Zambia, namely; Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zimbabwe.Burundi, Comoro., Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Rwanda, Sudan, Swaziland, and Uganda.
VISA
For other countries which require a Visa to enter Zambia need to apply for the Visa online and you collect it on arrival at the airport as you enter Zambia for those countries where they have a Zambian Embassy you can go there and a visa.
Covid-19 requirements to enter Zambia
The latest Guidance for Travel to Zambia in View of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Click here to read more
Language English is the official language of Zambia, used in business and in education.