The decision on which country will host the “Specialized Expo 2027”, commonly referred to as the World’s Fair, will be made in Paris next week on June 21 during the 172nd General Assembly and Africa will be key to whether the United States, one of five finalists, wins the bid to host it in Minnesota at a site next to the Mall of America.
The United States is up against Thailand, Serbia, Spain and Argentina. There are 179 member countries, each with one vote at next week’s crucial assembly. African countries with over 50 of them as members comprise almost a third of the votes.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has also recorded a special message for the assembly supporting the U.S. bid and the first session of the 93rd Minnesota Legislature, which wrapped up last month, allocated a $5 million grant for the local host committee to assist with planning should Minnesota win the bid .
Minnesota Africans United (MAU), a coalition of African immigrant communities in the state, has led the charge in lobbying African countries to support the US bid.
“There was no African country in the running to host the World Fair so Minnesota Africans United partnered with Minnesota USA Expo to support (the) US bid as we believe it will open up business opportunities for our community here and African countries,” Basil Ajuo, President and CEO of MAU said during an interview with Mshale.
Mr. Ajuo was joined in the interview with former Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, a board member of Minnesota USA Expo 2027, the non-profit entity formed to securing the and MAU board chair Ms. Nelima Sitati Munene.
The trio and other leading African immigrant leaders in the state, including the national Small Business Person of the Year, Mr. Abdirahman Kahin, have for the last two years crisscrossed the African continent and Europe drumming up the US bid. The intense lobbying has included visiting virtually all the African countries’ Washington embassies and holding countless webinars in the process.
In an op-ed published recently in the Pioneer Press, and again reiterated in the Mshale interview, Mr. Ritchie sounded more confident than ever about Minnesota’s chances at next week’s vote: “Our bid is backed by nearly every country on the African Continent,” he said.
If Minnesota is chosen to host, an estimated 14 million people would descend on the state in the summer of 2027 for 93 days of an international exhibition encompassing technology, science, as well as the arts and culture.
The U.S. bid is based on the theme “Healthy People, Healthy Planet: Wellness and Well-Being for All.”
One big possible outcome if Minnesota hosts the expo is the avenues it opens for African immigrants, and ultimately African nations, to own the development process.
“The way development has been done on the continent in the past has been one sided, but if an African immigrant here in addition to sending remittances partners with an American company for a business venture back home (Africa) then that changes everything,” Ms. Nelima Sitati Munene said of Africa’s relationship with its international development partners. The expo 2027 will provide the venue for those possibilities, she added.
The MAU team is urging African immigrants with ties to their home countries’ leadership and their embassies in Washington to call them and express their solidarity and support for the U.S. bid. Expressions for the U.S. bid can also be shared on social media in advance of the June 21 vote using the following hashtags: #Expo2027USA, #Expo2027, and #HealthyPeopleHealthyPlanet.
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About Tom Gitaa Gitaa, Editor-in-Chief
Born and raised in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa, Tom is the Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Mshale which has been reporting on the news and culture of African immigrants in the United States since 1995. He has a BA in Business from Metro State University and a Public Leadership Credential from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He was the original host of Talking Drum, the signature current affairs show on the African Broadcasting Network (ABN-America), which was available nationwide in the United States via the Dish Network satellite service. On the show, he interviewed Nobel laureates such as 2004 Nobel Peace prize winner, Professor Wangari Maathai, the first woman from Africa to win the peace prize and heads of states. Tom has served and chaired various boards including Global Minnesota (formerly Minnesota International Center), the sixth largest World Affairs Council in the United States. He has previously served as the first Black President of the Board of Directors at Books for Africa. He also serves on the boards of New Vision Foundation and the Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium. He has previously served two terms on the board of the United Nations Association. An avid runner, he retired from running full marathons after turning 50 and now only focuses on training for half marathons.
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