Kisumu, Kenya, 21st April 2022: One month before the 9th edition of the Africities Summit scheduled to take place on May 17 to 21, 2022 in Kisumu, Kenya, the program of sessions is complete. 170 sessions were recorded for this edition placed under the High Patronage of His Excellency, Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya. The theme chosen for the summit is: “The role of intermediary cities in Africa in the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and of the African Union´s Agenda 2063”.
Organized every 3yrs over 5 days, alternately in the different regions of Africa, the Africities Summit is the largest democratic gathering organized on the African continent. This flagship event of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) organized in partnership with the Government of Kenya, the Council of Governors of Kenya (CoG), and the County of Kisumu will for the very first time be held in an intermediary city.
Distinguished personalities are expected to attend the gathering in Kisumu and take an active part in
the main dialogue platform on decentralization and local governance, which brings together African
ministers; as well as mayors, leaders, and elected representatives of local authorities; civil society organizations; traditional authorities; representatives of the African Diaspora; actors from the world of
economics; experts, researchers, and academics; financial institutions, as well as development partners.
The President of the Republic of Senegal, H.E. Mr. Macky Sall, accepted the invitation of the organizing committee to participate in the summit in his capacity as current President of the African Union (AU).
Invitations to participate were sent to the following personalities: H.E. Mr. Mohamadou Issoufou, former President of the Republic of Niger; H.E. John F. Kerry, former United States Secretary of State, President’s Special Envoy for Climate; Ms. Amina J. Mohamed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations; Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the Africa Union Commission, Ms. Maimuna Mohd Sharif, E.D of UN-Habitat, Ms. Vera Songwe, E.S of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA); Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB); Prof. Benedict Oramah, Chairman of Afreximbank; Mr. Samuel Etoo, President of the Cameroon Football Federation; and Mr. Didier Drogba, former Ivorian international footballer. “I am delighted to officially announce that the city of Kisumu will host the largest Africities summit ever held in Kenya.”, said Uhuru Kenyatta, President Kenyaof.
The Summit has so far recorded more than 3,000 participants already registered to take part in the 5 days of reflection around the theme of the summit, organized within the framework of thematic sessions, sessions on local policies and strategies, and the political segment of the Summit. Africities 9 also consists of specific days organized on the major topics that mobilize the attention of mayors and leaders of local governments on the continent, namely Climate Day; Diaspora and Afro-descendants Day; Digital Day; Culture Day; Urban Planning Day; Housing Day; Women Day; Youth Day; as well as the Africities Trade and Investment Forum.
As part of the Summit, the International Exhibition of Cities and Local Governments will also be held. The Africities Exhibition offers institutions, economic operators, academia and research, as well as civil society organizations the opportunity to exhibit their experiences, know-how, methods, tools, and, products in response to requests and needs in terms of support to local authorities for the implementation of their mandates The Africities Exhibition also makes it possible to organize B2B meetings with local authorities, which could lead to the signing of contracts between protagonists.
The Africities 9 summit now serves as a framework for the elective General Assembly aimed at designating the members of the organization’s governing bodies. Indeed, the elective General Assembly of UCLG Africa will be held on May 19, 2022, preceded on May 18 by the general assemblies of the Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA) and the Network of Young Local Elected Officials of Africa (YELO). As icing on the cake, it is planned to organize a conversation between the former heads of State, honorary members of UCLG Africa, and the young elected representatives of local governments of Africa, concerning their involvement in the African renaissance, given the lessons to draw from the experience of former African leaders. This conversation is scheduled for May 20 in the afternoon.
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