President Uhuru Kenyatta has called for local government to formulate policies that will bring tangible, practical and sustainable solutions to the challenges facing Africa’s urban areas.
Speaking on Tuesday in the lakeside city of Kisumu when he officially opened the 9th edition of Africities, President Kenyatta noted that the summit provides an effective forum for the continent to take stock, reflect and plan on the best ways of addressing the challenges of urbanization.
This year’s Africities summit held under the theme ‘The role of intermediary cities of Africa in the implementation of the Agenda 2030 of the United Nations and the African Union Agenda 2063’ is the first to be hosted in an intermediary city.
At the same time, the head of state emphasized the need to scale up the role of intermediary cities as the next frontiers of African urbanization and development.
Accordingly, President Kenyatta said the Africities summit has the task of providing the continent with a comprehensive and achievable roadmap on how intermediary cities can contribute more towards the implementation of the Agenda 2030 of the United Nations and the African Union Agenda 2063.