On Friday, August 12, the Global Citizen, an international advocacy organisation, officially launched their Global Citizen Festival Accra, which is to be held 24th September at the Black Star Square and Kempinski Hotel.
Mr Hugh Evans, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), The Global Citizen, speaking at the launch said his passion about the eradication of extreme poverty led him to form Global Citizen. Poverty is man-made, and must be overcome and eradicated by human beings, particularly through platforms such as the Global Citizen Festival, he said.
Tickets to the festival would not be sold, but earned through actions and petitions against extreme poverty, the organizers have said, emphasising that to alleviate inequality and its underlying causes, citizen engagement was required.
“The campaign’s call to action is to address the injustice of the fact that COVID-19 has pushed 100 million people into extreme poverty in the last 24 months,” Mr Evans said.
The 65th anniversary of Ghana’s independence and the 20th anniversary of the African Union both fell in 2022, providing more chances for cooperation to realize the festival’s objectives.
He said the campaign was being held in Ghana because “Ghana is known to be a symbol of African excellence, peace, democracy and hope for the entire world.”
Mrs Bosoma Saint John, Advisory Board Member, said since women constituted more than half of the world’s population, it was crucial to empower them, because when one woman succeeds, the entire society benefits. She said a country’s GDP was founded on half of its population, therefore, empowering girls and women in society would have a positive impact on both the economy’s stability and its growth. She commended the Global Citizen team for making it their mission to empower girls and women as a way of eradicating extreme poverty.
Mr Mark Okraku-Mantey, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, expressed excitement about the fact that the Global Citizen would campaign through music and the arts. He urged Ghanaians, especially women and girls, to participate actively and earn a ticket to the festival ahead.
The Global Citizens Festival Accra would be climaxed with a music performance by an amazing lineup of artistes including Usher, Gyakie (JACKIE), H.E.R, Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, Stormzy, Sza and TEMS. This music festival would be held at the Black Star Square on 24th September 2022 and is a free ticketed event.
