Rawlings In Morocco For Africities

JJ Rawlings

FORMER GHANAIAN President Jerry John Rawlings arrived in Morocco on Tuesday to participate in the Africities Summit taking place in the historical Moroccan market city of Marrakech.

Former President Rawlings delivered the keynote address yesterday at the grand opening ceremony, which is being held under the auspices of King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

The five-day summit is under theme 'The Response of African Local and Regional Governments to the Global Crises: Promoting Sustainable Local Development and Employment'.

Organised every three years, with over 5000 participants drawn from all over Africa and other regions of the world, the Africities summit is the most-recognised forum for dialogue on decentralisation and local government development on the continent.

Aside giving the main address at the summit inauguration, former President Rawlings will participate in panel discussions on diverse issues to be discussed around the theme for the five-day conference.

The former President is also expected to hold a meeting with King Mohammed IV.

Other key participants for this year's event are Nobel Laureate Wangari Mataai, former Nigerian Minister of Finance and currently Managing Director of the World Bank, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Dr Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank; Muhammed Yunus, Nobel Laureate, Prof Amartya Sen, Nobel Economy Prize winner and Professor Joseph Stiglitz, another Nobel Economy Prize winner.

Initiated in January 1998, the Africities Summit is organised by the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA). The first summit was hosted by Abidjan, the second by Windhoek, Namibia and the third by Yaounde in Cameroun. In 2009, Nairobi hosted the event.

Also participating in the summit is the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin.