Vice President Opoku-Agyemang Departs for Washington to Deliver Historic Keynote at Sister Cities International's 70th Anniversary Conference

Vice President H.E. Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has departed Ghana for the United States to deliver the opening keynote address at Sister Cities International's 70th Anniversary Homecoming Conference, taking place in Washington, D.C., from July 22 to 25, 2026.

The Vice President travels as Special Guest of Honor and will deliver the Opening Plenary Keynote Address under the theme, "Forging Stronger Partnerships in Africa for Sustainable Economic Development through Sister Cities Global Partnerships Agenda." Her appearance marks a historic first: she becomes the first leader from outside the United States ever invited to deliver the opening keynote at a global Sister Cities International conference a distinction that places Ghana, and Africa more broadly, at the center of an anniversary the organization has built around seven decades of citizen diplomacy.

The Homecoming Conference brings together heads of government, mayors, diplomats, business executives, development partners, and civil society representatives from across the world. The programme includes high-level policy discussions, investment forums, and networking sessions, alongside a dedicated Africa Forum aimed at deepening ties between African communities and their international counterparts. Sister Cities International will also use the gathering to present its 2026 Annual Awards on July 24.

For Ghana, the invitation carries weight beyond protocol. Sister-city partnerships have long served as a quiet but durable channel of exchange linking municipalities, universities, and civic institutions across borders in ways that outlast the turnover of national administrations. Placing an African Vice President at the rostrum to open the 70th Anniversary edition signals a shift in how the network's American hosts are positioning the continent: not as a subject of development discourse, but as a partner shaping the agenda from the podium.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang's own profile a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast and Minister for Education before becoming Ghana's eighth Vice President in January 2025 lends the keynote an academic and institution-building register consistent with the conference's emphasis on sustainable, long-term partnership over one-off cooperation.

Mustapha Bature Sallama.
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal investigation and Intelligence Analysis.

International Conflict Management and Peace Building.USIP

mustysallama@gmail.com
+233-555-275-880
Source: GBC News (Ghana Broadcasting Corporation), gbcghanaonline.com, July 21, 2026; Sister Cities International.

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