Senegalese American Singer Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam, popularly known as Akon will host the 2023 African Cup of Nations draw on Thursday, October 12 in Abidjan.
The ‘Lonely’ hitmaker will co-host the AFCON draw alongside Ivorian Football Legend, Yaya Toure at the brand-new Parc Des Expositions venue in Abidjan where all qualified 32 African countries will know their opponents for next year’s tournament in Ivory Coast.
The presence of Akon will bring a glimpse into the mesmerizing event, where as a social activist, his ‘Akon Lighting Africa’ project seeks to use solar electricity to help African countries meet their basic electricity needs.
The event is expected to be telecasted in over 50 countries aross the world, with millions of viewers expected to tune in to CAF’s official YouTube channel for the live broadcast on Thursday.
Qualified countries for next year’sq AFCON tournament include host country Cote d’Ivoire, Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Congo DR, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Zambia. The competition is set to run from 13 January to 11 February 2024.
With Egypt being the country with the most titles (7) in the history of the competition, the Pharaohs are seeking to increase their tally next year. Meanwhile defending Champions Senegal are also looking to retain their trophy on West African Soil.
The Final Draw will start at 19h00 local time/GMT (21h00 CAT, 22h00 Cairo).
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Story by: David Kwaku Dzaku | univers.ug.edu.gh
