GLOBAL music star, Akon, who has Senegalese heritage, will host the draw of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire tomorrow, the Confederation of African Football has announced.
The draw ceremony will start at 8pm Nigerian time at the brand-new Parc Des Expositions in Abidjan and be broadcast live on CAF TV (YouTube).
The United States of America-based Akon is a huge football fan and social activist whose ‘Akon Lighting Africa’ project seeks to use solar electricity to help African countries meet their basic electricity needs, CAF noted.
“Akon’s hosting of the Final Draw, alongside Yaya Touré, adds even more star power to what is set to be a glitzy, glamorous, eagerly anticipated occasion, as the 24 qualified nations discover their group stage opponents,” CAF said.
“The Final Draw will be beamed in over 50 countries, with millions of viewers expected to tune in to the event on CAF’s Official YouTube channel, as well as across CAF’s Global TV partners.”
The 50-year-old Akon, real name Aliaune Damala Bouga Thiam, hit the heights of his music career in the mid-2000s when his first two soul, rhythm and blues albums ‘Trouble’ (in 2004) and ‘Konvicted’ (2006) spawned massive global hit singles including ‘Locked Up’, ‘Lonely’, ‘Smack That’ and ‘Blame It On Me’.
He was also nominated for and won several awards on the back of those albums and is still regarded as a leading figure in R&B, soul and hip hop.
The 34th edition of AFCON, the biggest single-sport event in Africa, will take place in Cote d’Ivoire from January 13 to February 11 2024, with Nigeria’s Super Eagles and 23 other teams participating.
