Africa Celebrates, a premier Pan-African event designed to celebrate Africa’s unity in diversity and promote economic prosperity through arts, culture, heritage, technology, and business, will be held in Addis Ababa from November 6 to 10.
According to the organizers, Legendary Gold Limited and Mayalz Events in collaboration with the African Union Commission and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the event will be presented at the African Union and ECA headquarters in Addis Ababa.
This year’s theme, “Educate an African fit for the 21st century,” underscores the importance of resilient awareness systems in advancing integration and prosperity across the continent.
It is anticipated that the historical African Hall, one of Addis Ababa’s landmarks, will be reopened in October after a USD 57 million refurbishment project.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has had its permanent offices in Africa Hall since 1961. It holds a significant position in the development of the continent’s economy, pan-Africanism, and sustainable future.
However, due to its old age, the United Nations General Assembly agreed in 2015 to repair the building exactly as it was when the Ethiopian government presented it to the UN.
The project manager of the ECA’s Africa Hall, Antoni Biao, recalled that in 2008, during the celebration of the organization’s 50th anniversary at the location, UN members noticed that the hall required some renovations.
As a result, the UN began considering the possibility of carrying out renovations in order to restore, modernize, and revitalize the building and make it shine once more, just as it did when it was first opened in 1961 and when the Organization of African Unity was established in this hall in 1963.
The proposal calls for the huge rehabilitation work, sponsored by the 193 member nations, to turn it into a cutting-edge meeting facility and museum.
Several significant gatherings in the history of Pan-Africanism, including the liberation of Africa from colonialism, have taken place at Africa Hall. With the intention of drawing the UN to Africa and unifying African nations, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia conceived of and donated the Hall to serve as the ECA’s headquarters.
Additionally, it is the birthplace of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which was founded in 1963 at the Hall and is currently known as the African Union.
According to Getachew Kassa, the supervisor of the Africa Hall Project at the ECA, “The Hall stands as a living symbol of African history, culture, and the noble aspirations of African people for peace and unity on the continent, which is free of colonialism,” when the project started in October 2022.
According to the project manager, updating and modernizing the structural and technical amenities of the Hall is part of the remodeling project.
Africa Hall is now more contemporary, secure, and useful thanks to renovations that have strengthened the structure’s resilience to earthquakes, improved building accessibility, and created additional security features.
He claimed that a number of firms from various nations were participating in the project; most of them were international, but the majority also employed locals. The UAE-based ALEC, which renovated the Minilik Palace a few years ago to open it to the public, is the principal contractor at the ECA, located at the heart of the city in front of Jubilee National Place.
“We did not want to drastically alter the building’s architecture, including some components like the tiles and stones, because we would like to retain the building’s ingrained legacy. The dome is another crucial component,” the project manager said.
“We included the new element in the project to ensure that it complies with the latest standards, including security, safety, and comfort features,” he continued.
According to Antoni Biao, the restoration “respects the original design principles, including the stained-glass triptych titled ‘The Total Liberation of Africa,’ created by Honorable Laureate Maitre Artiste Afewerk Tekle.”
“This artwork has been repaired such that it will last for a further 75 to 100 years. The company that completed the first work is the same one performing it now. The son of the individual who finished the renovation 65 years ago is currently working on it. Therefore, in order to ensure that we are conserving properly and employing the identical procedures, we have been attempting to utilize the same company and power,” he stated.
When the building was first constructed, Atelier Thomas Vitraux (Valence) completed the artistic glazing in the Hall; currently, his son’s company is in charge of maintaining it.
“We made the facade more translucent and open. Why? The front of this edifice is somewhat exposed to the continent due to the Emperor’s involvement, which is one of the most significant architectural elements of this structure,” the project manager said.
The project manager recalled Haile Selassie’s speech at the building’s inauguration: “We are very happy to have a conference hall here in Addis Ababa, allowing the African people to discuss their future in Africa without having to go to London or to any other places,” he said during the building’s inauguration.
“The Emperor said in his speech that ‘this decision shall not be taken behind closed doors. So for that reason, this rule is open to the continent.’ So it is surrounded by the floor of Africa with that marvelous campus alignment,” the project manager added.
He clarified that the meeting rooms are close together, if you notice most of them, if not all of them. Natural light does not exist. “In this instance, the reason this hall was accessible to the continent is due to the architect’s interpretation of the Emperor’s wish, which is a very good point, as our leaders continue to make decisions in front of the people.”
A visitor center and a permanent exhibition area have also been included in the remodeling project with the intention of opening up the ancient building to African people and tourists from across the world.
The UN wants the public to value this building, which is another crucial aspect of this project. According to Antoni Biao, “We are building a visitor center similar to the ones in New York, Geneva, and Nairobi.”
The architecture of the structure said to be one of the origins of pan-Africanism will be on display in a permanent exhibition.
The main focus of the show will be the building’s architectural history, followed by its political and cultural past, which includes its Pan-Africanist legacy. In addition to a bookstore, gift shop, and a leisure center, member states and institutions will also be able to host short-term events, he said.
The project manager stated, “The Ethiopian government gave us a piece of land there to do a parking lot that will be dedicated to visitors as part of the renovation.”
Africa Hall was opened by Emperor Haile Selassie in February 1961 during the third session of the Conference for UNECA.
Since then, decisions made by African Heads of State have taken place there at a number of meetings. The artwork in the Africa Hall, which features the founding fathers of the OAU, has memorialized this.
Maître Afework Tekle created the 150-square-meter stained glass window in Africa Hall’s foyer, which serves as the building’s main landmark.
The artwork narrates the tale of ‘Africa Then,’ ‘Africa Then and Now,’ and ‘Africa Now and in the Future’ in three sections.
The structure was designed by Italian architect Arturo Mezzedimi, who mostly worked in East Africa and the Middle East. Luigi Varnero, a construction industry specialist, was the major constructor.
The project, which was completed in less than two years, came at a cost of five million birr, which was around five million US dollars at the time.
Experts claim that the founding of the ECA was one of the catalysts for Addis Ababa’s rise to prominence as a global diplomatic center, together with the African Union.
Members of the Association of Tourism Service Provision Institutions, along with the Orotta National Referral Hospital, have voluntarily donated a total of 190 units of blood to support the National Blood Transfusion Service.
From 16 to 21 September, in celebration of World Tourism Day on 27 September, members of the Association of Tourism Service Provision Institutions contributed 120 units of blood. Mr. Solomon Girmay, Chairman of the Association, highlighted that this is the third time the members have participated in such an initiative, praising their strong commitment to the cause.
Additionally, on 21 September, staff members of the Orotta National Referral Hospital donated 70 units of blood as part of a program themed “Donating Blood to Save Lives with Renewable Blood.”
Mr. Negasi Yitbarek, program coordinator, noted that the hospital’s staff has pledged to donate blood twice annually.
Mr. Tewolde Yohannes, Manager of the Orotta National Referral Hospital, commended the staff for their life-saving efforts, which complement their professional contributions.
In related news, the National Blood Transfusion Service reported that on 20 September, members of Immigration and Nationality donated 37 units of blood, further enhancing the country’s blood supply.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.
As the world convenes in New York this week for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 79), Africa’s 1.2 billion people will be counting on their participating leaders and pan-African institutions like the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) to lead the charge on matters critical to the continent’s sustainable development and prosperity.
Issues of climate change, the reform of the global financial architecture, peace, food and health security, access to clean energy and connectivity, among others, are captured in the Bank’s High 5s (http://apo-opa.co/3BnAsrS), are advanced in the new Ten-Year Strategy (http://apo-opa.co/3ZG5u8q) and are aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, ‘the Africa we want’.
The High-Level Segment of the 79th Session of UNGA, bringing together member states, international organizations, intergovernmental bodies, and other key stakeholders, will be held from 22-30 September 2024 under the theme “Leaving no one behind: Acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations.”
The 2024 meetings take place against a backdrop of growing concern about the ability to meet critical targets outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda.
The SDGS outline seventeen “goals” collectively described as “a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future” and with a deadline of 2030. They were first unveiled at UNGA 70 in 2015 which saw Dr. Akinwunmi A. Adesina’s debut appearance as the African Development Bank Group President.
Over the last decade, the African Development Bank has ramped up efforts and investments aimed to accelerate the attainment of the SDGs, in synergy with its own High-5s agenda of Light Up and Power Africa; Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa. By focusing on these High 5s, the African Development Bank has said, Africa stands the chance of accomplishing 90 percent of its Sustainable Development Goals for Africa.
Accompanied to New York by a high-level delegation of Bank Group executives, Adesina will helm a major push to strengthen partnerships and generate more support and commitment from key stakeholders for the continent’s development priorities.
Adesina’s packed UNGA itinerary will kick off on Sunday, 22 September, at this year’s ‘The Summit of the Future’ (http://apo-opa.co/3MTW2qA), scheduled for 22-23 September 2024. At the summit, Adesina will join world leaders to deliver a statement and adopt an action-oriented document to be known as “A Pact for the Future.”
He will also take part in a closed-door meeting with UN Secretary General António Guterres to discuss the critical issues of mobilizing greater private sector participation in Africa’s development, and the reform of multilateral development banks (MDBs).
Adesina will also speak at an event entitled “The World is at a Crossroads”, which will result in a new global blueprint designed to ensure humankind embraces rapid advances in technology and science to deliver on the promise of a better, more peaceful and prosperous future for people and the planet.
A major issue for the Bank is presenting the case for additional funds for the African Development Fund (ADF) , the Bank’s concessional lending arm, which since 2001 has been at the forefront of the Bank’s drive to advance the fragility agenda in Africa. The Bank, one of the first multilateral institutions to embed the concept of fragility and resilience into all its operations, is seeking to secure an ambitious replenishment of $25 billion for the ADF.
A fireside chat, hosted by the broadcaster CNN, will present a platform for Adesina to highlight the Bank’s ground-breaking Desert to Power programme across the continent’s Sahel region, which aims to create the largest solar energy zone in the world and connect 250 million people to electricity by 2030.
The bank president will also address a steering committee meeting of the Access to the Digital Economy (MADE Alliance-Africa) (http://apo-opa.co/4dibTdt) – an organization of which he is a co-chair which aims to provide digital access to 100 million people in Africa. Dr Adesina will stress how he believes the work of MADE is critical to address the ambitious and promising goal of reaching 100 million African farmers in 10 years.
He will be joined by the Bank’s vice-presidents for Regional Development, Integration, and Business Delivery, Finance, Agriculture, Human, and Social Development, Private Sector, Infrastructure&Industrialization and Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth and the Chief Economist.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Contact:
Tolu Ogunlesi
Communication and External Relations Department
email: media@afdb.org
