Kenya: The 9th edition of the Africities summit opened on Tuesday in Kisumu

Kenya’s third largest city, Kisumu, is hosting the 9th Africities Summit since yesterday, Tuesday 17 May. It brings together more than 5,000 African and international participants, including mayors and presidents of cities and local authorities, ministers, local elected officials, representatives of central and regional administrations, experts…

This meeting organised by United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA) is taking place under the theme “The role of intermediate cities in Africa in the implementation of the United Nations Agenda 2030 and the African Union’s Agenda 2063”.

The opening ceremony was led by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. To this end, he highlighted the role of local government authorities as indispensable leaders in the scaling up of intermediate cities. “The time has come to strengthen the role of intermediate cities as the next frontiers of urbanisation and development in Africa. An unprecedented rate of urbanisation has seen 1,086 intermediate cities become home to 174 million people, accounting for 36% of our continent’s total urban population and contributing about 40% of our continent’s GDP,” said President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Following this, the various speakers emphasised the need to empower intermediate cities and small towns in order to ensure economic inclusion for all Africans. They also called for the acceleration of the implementation of the SDGs, the implementation of the AU’s Agenda 2063, the strengthening of urban resilience and the adoption of smart agriculture.

Africities Summit

Held every three years over a period of five days, alternating between the five regions of Africa, the Africities Summit is the largest democratic gathering on the African continent. The main objective is to strengthen the role of local and regional authorities in the development of the continent and contribute in building the integration and unity of Africa from its territories. Several sessions and workshops are planned, focusing on climate, culture, urban development, women and youth issues.

The theme of the Summit is further developed in four main points: a specific programme for the development and the planning of intermediate cities, a revision of planning and development methods in Africa starting from the local level and based on the planning of intermediate cities, a redefinition of the African urban framework giving greater visibility to African intermediate cities, and a refocusing of African development on the territories, specifying the orientations of the African Union’s Agenda 2063

The 9th edition will end on Saturday 21 May.