Handshake brothers Uhuru, Raila in Kisumu for AfriCities
President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM party leader Raila Odinga at Harambee House in Nairobi on March 9, 2018, where they agreed to work together in a handshake. The duo will be in for the AfriCities Summit which starts tomorrow.
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, in his capacity as the African Union High Representative for infrastructure, is expected to chair the first round table discussion comprising current and former heads of state at the Africities Summit starting tomorrow in Kisumu.
The session which will set the tone for the PanAfrican summit that will also be attended by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong'o told the media that the discussion will be on the role of intermediary cities in Africa's structural transformation as well as the population dynamics of the continent.
The discussion will focus on proper planning in cities to deal with urbanisation of intermediary cities.
"Some of the discussions will be how infrastructure and urbanisation to be given special attention in terms of adequate resources to ensure planning and implementation of infrastructural development across Africa," said Prof Nyong'o.
He pointed out that the discussion was important and had to be slotted on the first day when President Kenyatta and his counterparts are around.
Secretary General of the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa Jean Pierre Mbassi said there will be a session between former heads of state and young elected leaders.
"Younger leaders will learn from the experiences of former presidents on how to deliver better in their mandate," said Mr Mbassi.
According to Mr Mbassi, intermediary cities are in the best position to envision a more harmonious relationship between city dwellers and nature, as well as with other living beings sharing the same natural space.
Other round table forums will comprise ministers, mayors and leaders of local governments.
Financing investments
The conference will also cover how cities can finance investments.
Also to feature in the deliberations is the response to the Covid-19 pandemic in intermediary cities.
Prof Nyong'o indicated that proper arrangements in terms of accommodation had been made for the guests who have already started arriving.
On Sunday, the immediate former president of Seychelles, Mr Danny Faure, arrived in Kisumu and was received by Prof Nyong'o, while his deputy, Dr Mathews Owili, received governors from Egypt.
More than seven heads of state are expected to grace the occasion as well as celebrities such as Oscar Award winning Actress Lupita Nyong’o and famous African soccer players.
The ninth edition of the Africities Summit will be held from May 17 to 21 in Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya, with an estimated population of 409,000 according to the 2009 census.
This is the first time the Africities Summit is being held in an intermediary city.
The theme of Africities 9 is: “The contribution of Africa's intermediary cities to the implementation of Agenda 2030 of the United Nations and Agenda 2063 of the African Union.”
This summit takes place at a time marked by the health crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate crisis related to global warming.
For the very first time, the summit will highlight the first level of the continent's urban framework, which is made up of around 1,500 intermediary cities in Africa with populations of between 50,000 and 500,000 inhabitants.
This layer of the continent's urban landscape currently accounts for a little over 30 per cent of the urban population.
