African artists to perform at Global Citizen Fest 2022

The Afropop acts will be joined by Usher, British-Ghanaian rapper Stormzy, and US R&B artist SZA for the Accra showcases. Other international acts like Metallica, Charlie Puth, Jonas Brothers, Måneskin, Mariah Carey, Mickey Guyton and Rosalía will take the stage in New York. More names are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Last year’s Global Citizen Festival line-up also boasted a strong contingent of African musicians including Angélique Kidjo, Burna Boy, Femi Kuti, Davido and Tiwa Savage.

An advocacy organisation, Global Citizen claims to be “the world’s largest movement of action takers and impact makers dedicated to ending extreme poverty now.” The concert, now in its 10th year, will be broadcast and streamed on ABC, ABC News Live, FX, Hulu, iHeartRadio, TimesLIVE, Twitter and YouTube, among others.

“Ghana is honoured to host this year’s edition of the Global Citizen Festival,” Ghana president Nana Akufo-Addo said. “I look forward to welcoming each and everyone of you to Accra, the capital of the country at the centre of the world. Together, let us join hands and help accelerate progress towards the realisation of the SDGs. We owe it to the next generation to live in a world free from poverty, disease and the degradation of the environment.” 

As part of its campaign, the 2022 Global Citizen Festival will call on world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, and ahead of the G20 and COP27 in November, to invest in the future of women and girls, close the annual $10 billion climate financing shortfall, and help African farmers respond to the global food crisis while providing urgent relief from crushing debts to end extreme poverty.

“Decades of systemic and political failures have led humanity into the midst of converging and rapidly deteriorating crises –  climate, hunger, health, war and conflict,” Global Citizen co-founder and CEO Hugh Evans said.

The most marginalised populations are paying the price of the stagnant inaction of our leaders, and now millions of lives, and the future of our planet, are at stake. We refuse to just stand by and watch! We refuse to accept the starvation of multitudes when solutions are readily at hand. We demand a secure future for girls everywhere. We demand governments keep their promises on climate funding. We demand relief from debts unjustly crushing economies. And we demand action now, while there’s still time to change our collective trajectory.”