KIPPRA participated in and played a key role at the 9th Africities Summit held in Kisumu County on 17th to 21st of May 2022. The theme of the summit was “the role of intermediary cities of Africa in the Implementation of Agenda 2030 of the United Nations and the African Union Agenda 2063.”
The summit, which is organized every three years by the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA), saw more than 8,000 delegates from over 40 countries attend. They comprised international and regional leaders, African ministers, leaders and officials of local and regional governments, civil society organizations, development partners and other stakeholders. Among key guess who addressed the forum include Kenya’s President Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta and the Chairperson of the African Union is H.E. President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi. US Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Change, Mr John Kerry, addressed the summit virtually.
KIPPRA participated in several sessions, including making a presentation in one of the breakaway sessions on preliminary findings of a study on Urban Economic Growth: A Case for Nairobi City County, which is being undertaken in collaboration with AGI-Brookings Institution. A number of KIPPRA policy analysist also participated in panel discussions during the session.
The KIPPRA Executive Director (ED), Dr Rose Ngugi, was part of panel discussions in relation to the summit and the urban cities agenda, including one organized by Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on the launch of a book titled “Africa’s Urbanisation Dynamics 2022: The Economic Power of Africa’s Cities,” which was authored by OECD and African Development Bank (AfDB).
Dr Ngugi was also a panelist in a session on “economic power of Africa’s cities – Africities The most important democratic gathering in Africa.” The session focussed on policy priorities to enable cities to play their role of economic drivers.
