Nigerian Afrobeats star Yemi Alade is scheduled to headline the opening ceremony of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Abidjan on Saturday. The singer confirmed this exciting news in a post on her official X handle (formerly Twitter), expressing that the opportunity is a long-held dream come true for her.

In her post, she shared, “Since 2016, I have envisioned performing at the stadium for football ceremonies surrounded by hundreds of dancers and people. Seven years later, I’m performing at AFCON. It is indeed an honor and a dream come true. It’s just the beginning.”

Yemi Alade will join forces with other African artists to perform the theme song of the 2023 AFCON, titled ‘Akwaba,’ which translates to "welcome" in the Baoule language of Cote d’Ivoire. The rendition of the 2023 AFCON anthem will also feature the renowned Ivorian group Magic System and Egyptian singer Mohamed Ramadan.

The opening ceremony is set to take place at the 60,000-capacity Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan. The tournament, featuring 24 nations playing across six stadiums in five cities, will culminate on Feb. 11.

Naijamatta is a social networking site,

download Naijamatta from Google play store or visit www.naijamatta.com to register. You can post, comment, do voice and video call, join and open group, go live etc. Join Naijamatta family, the Green app.