By Nelly OlliechKisumu County, Kenya:The 9th edition of the africities summit kicked off on tuesday 17th May 2022 in Kisumu, the first of it’s kind to happen in an intermediary city.The chairman of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki noted that the intermediary cities in Africa are very vital and should not be overlooked and more attention should be given to the intermediary cities.President Uhuru Kenyatta on his part called on the continent of Africa to fully recognize the role and importance of the intermediary cities of Africa in the implementation and realization of the SDG goals,Agenda 2030 of the United Nations and the African Union Agenda of 2063. “Time is ripe for Africans to recognize the role of intermediary cities in Africa”.He said there is need for proper urban planning,robust legal and policy frame work,proper and enhanced technology to speed and spur growth of the intermediary cities.The president noted that the summit has provided an effective and the much needed platform for the continent to reflect, take stock and plan on the best ways possible of addressing the challenges of urbanization.
His excellency Danny Faure, former president of the Republic of Seychelles noted the need for African countries to bank all their interventions on facts and coordinated approaches in order to help choose the right structure that will have the most effective impact on the people of the African continent and lift the livelihoods of the people.
On his part, the African Union High Representative for infrastructure and development Hon Raila Amollo Odinga called for the establishment of an African Infrastructure kitty to help fund the monetary deficit to help build Africa’s infrastructure which will enable spur the growth of Africa as a continent.
“We can work with several institutions to help establish this fund because we have identified that Africa has idle capital like the sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, and insurance funds. We are working towards tapping these resources to enable Africa to fund its own development” said Mr. Odinga.
The goodwill ambassador of this year’s Africities summit Lupita Nyongo in her summit official video expressed how honored she was.
“Kisumu is my ancestral home and I have witnessed its potential firsthand. It has so much to offer and I can really see its vibrant energy being tapped through the radical leadership of its governor Professor Peter Anyang Nyong’o. I could not think of a better place to come together to discuss tangible solutions for the challenges facing Africa and its intermediary cities than the summit” she said.
