The 9th edition of the Africities Summit, which is held every three years, took place in Kenya’s western city of Kisumu from 17 to 21 May 2022 under the theme “The Role of Intermediary Cities in Africa in the Implementation of Agenda 2030 of the United Nations and the African Union Agenda 2063”. It was the first summit to be held in a so-called intermediary city and was attended by more than 4,000 former heads of state and government, city mayors, industry leaders, researchers and innovators, according to an article of the African newspaper The Independent. The summit concluded with delegates endorsing new action plans to hasten urban renewal in Africa.
UN-Habitat was one of the institutional partners supporting the 9th Africities Summit. In her opening speech, Executive Director Maimunah Mohd Sharif spoke about the importance of implementing the New Urban Agenda in Africa. She highlighted how the adoption of affordable housing programmes and urban recovery frameworks for post-disaster and conflict environments can accelerate development and help governments achieve global targets set by the 2030 Agenda, according to a statement from UN Habitat.
She said in her speech: “The goal for all of us is to see an African continent which shows inclusive growth and sustainable development, social transformation, and improvement in the standard of living and quality of life of people in both urban and rural areas.”
