Oscar-winning Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyog'o will, for the first time, be the Goodwill Ambassador of the IX Africities Summit, to be held May 17-21, 2022, in Kisumu, Kenya.

For this edition, one of the goals of the event will be to mobilize the African and African descendent diaspora to start the journey towards African renaissance with their fellow citizens who have remained on the continent, as well as with people of good will interested in the development, integration, and unity of Africa.

The theme of the summit is "The role of intermediary cities in Africa in the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the African Union 2063 Agenda," and was proposed by Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The African Cities Summit is a triennial event organized by the Pan-African Organization of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa), and takes place over five days and different locations in the elected city.