About 8,500 delegates are expected to attend the ninth edition of Africities Summit 2021 to be held in Kisumu.
The summit to bring delegates from Africa and beyond will be held from November 16 to 20, 2021.
Kisumu becomes the first intermediary city to host the summit and 2021 will be the first time the Summit will be hosted outside a capital city.
The secretary general of the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA), Jean-Pierre Elong-Mbassi, said Kisumu has the capacity to host the summit.
Mbassi expressed confidence that Kisumu will successfully host the event.
“We have gone around the city and neighbouring counties. There is standard 8,000 hotel room capacity,” he said.
He said during the eight edition of Africities Summit in Morocco last year, 8,300 delegates participated.
“Going by statistics from previous summits, we expect about 8,500 people in Kisumu,” Mbassi said.
However, the number of participants could hit 10,000 boosted by high numbers of local delegates.
He spoke on Thursday during the preparation of the summit and signing of Memorandum of Understanding at Ciala Resort in Kisumu.
Devolution CS and chairman of the National Steering Committee on Africities 2021 Eugene Wamalwa was present.
Also present were Council of Governors chairman Wycliffe Oparanya and Sithole Mbanga, the deputy secretary general of UCLGA.
The Pan-African Summit of Local and Regional Governments (Africities) is held every three years by the UCLGA.
Africities Summits highlight the importance of decentralisation in Africa and the role of sub-national governments in governance and development on the continent.
It also provides a platform for policy dialogue on decentralisation and integration of Africa towards improving governance at the level of cities and territories.
With the magnitude of the summit, the secretary general said a lot of infrastructure development will take place in Kisumu.
The summit has seen tremendous commitment from the national and county government on infrastructural and lakefront development as part of face-lifting the city ahead of the summit.
The Ministry of Tourism has set aside Sh300 million for the Lakefront Development with a pledge to partner with the county government in putting up a 6,000-capacity world-class conference and convention centre.
The Agricultural Society of Kenya, which owns 90 acres will also build a convention centre, sporting facility and demo farm.
Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong’o said Kisumu stands to benefit massively from the summit in terms of business opportunities in hotel and hospitality industry as well as the infrastructure development.
He said some guests will stay in neighbouring counties such as Kakamega, Vihiga and Kericho among others.
Nyong’o said the delegates will expect world class services in security, immigration, accommodation, registration, international connectivity by flights, transport, conference facilities, exhibition spaces, information and communication services.
He praised the commitment and support of President Uhuru Kenyatta and assured UCLGA that Kenya was willing and ready to host the forum.
Uhuru, he said, has appointed the National Steering Committee for Africities 2021 chaired by Wamalwa. It comprises of Cabinet secretaries of Finance, Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Internal Security, Tourism, Transport and Infrastructure.
The summit also has the full backing and support of the former Prime Minister and AU special envoy for Infrastructure Raila Odinga.
He told the private sectors and the Lake Region Economic Bloc to organise themselves to respond to these needs while making profits for their businesses.
The gains of Africities to the county’s economy and our people, Nyong’o said will hopefully accrue to both big business and the small and medium enterprises owned the local people.
He hinted that the national government will invest heavily in the development of infrastructure and services in Kisumu.
Nyong’o said, “From the time Kisumu was declared a host of Africities 2021, the city was placed strategically on the global map as the first intermediary city to host the summit."
“We have begun to attract attention and interest from around the world. This will definitely intensify as we embark on pre-summit activities of mobilisation of delegates, translating into fortunes in tourism and direct investments before the Summit."
Nyong’o asked the Lake Region and the entire country to come together to deliver an excellent and memorable summit in 2021 to draw economic benefits.
