Oscar Award winner Lupita Nyong’o is the Goodwill Ambassador for the 9th Africities Conference.
The conference is set to be hosted in Kisumu between May 17 and 21.
For the first time, the Africities Summit will have a Goodwill Ambassador, Ms Lupita Nyong’o
UCLG-A
United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG-A) has settled on Lupita to be the first ever Goodwill Ambassador of the continental event.
“For the first time, the Africities Summit will have a Goodwill Ambassador, Ms Lupita Nyong’o,” read the statement in part.
It went on; “One of the goals of this edition is to mobilize the African and Afro-descendants diaspora to begin the journey towards African renaissance with their fellow citizens who have remained in the continent, as well as people of goodwill interested in the development, integration, and unity of Africa.”
Public Confidence
Even though the details about her role not shared by UCLG-A, Lupita will be expected to be the image of the event being hosted at her home city of Kisumu.
With her huge following across the globe, Lupita’s endorsement of the event is a likely boost to the delegates’ confidence on the event.
Lupita Nyong’o is daughter to Kisumu Governor Prof Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o.
One of the goals of this edition is to mobilize the African and Afro-descendants diaspora to begin the journey towards African renaissance with their fellow citizens who have remained in the continent, as well as people of goodwill interested in the development, integration, and unity of Africa
UCLG-A
Africities is a Pan Africa conference that is convened by UCLG-A and brings together the leadership of cities and sub national governments.
The summits have been held every three years since 1998 when the first meeting was held in Abijan, Ivory Coast.
Delegates
Other Cities to host the summit include Johannesburg (South Africa), Dakar (Senegal), Marrakech (Morocco), Nairobi (Kenya) among others.
Kisumu becomes the first intermediary city to host the event.
At least 6, 000 delegates from across Africa are set to attend the fete at Kisumu’s Mamboleo Grounds.
The theme for the 9th edition is, ‘The Role of Intermediary Cities of Africa in the implementation of Agenda 2030 of the United Nations and the African Union Agenda 2063’.
Already preparations are in top gear at the venue of the event, with Kisumu County Government, the host local government indicating that it is prepared to host the thousands of visitors.
Some countries have already sent advance teams to assess the host city.
Lake Region Bulletin will be on the ground to provide all the necessary updates before, during and after the event.
About Kisumu
Kisumu means a place of barter trade “sumo” in the Luo language and is locally called ‘Kisumo’.
It was the major port of Lake Victoria during the commonwealth of East Africa, then known as Port Florence.
The town was founded in the early 19th Century mainly as the main inland terminal of the Asian-built Uganda railway.
Asians once formed a quarter of the population of the town, with cultural and infrastructural evidence of this visible to date.