Nigerian singer, Yemi Alade, dazzled at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations opening ceremony held on Saturday, 13th January 2024, at the Stade Olympique Alessane Ouattara in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
Adorned in traditional Ankara attire with captivating hair decorations, Yemi Alade, along with Egyptian rapper Mohamed Ramadan and Magic System, sang the official song ‘AKWAABA’ for AFCON 2023.
With over 60,000 fans in the stadium and numerous viewers at home, Yemi Alade belted out the song, showcasing her impressive dance moves during the performance.
In a tweet on her account earlier that week, she expressed that this opportunity was a “dream come true,” revealing her desire to perform at football ceremonies since 2016.
I cannot buttress the importance of prayer and speaking into existence your heart desires.
“Since 2016, I have desired to perform at the stadium for football ceremonies surrounded by hundreds of dancers and millions of people. A lot of calls came in almost every year when football championship preparations were made, but none was favorable. I never said this, but at some point, I started feeling like my team was chasing them away but something told me to let them do their job.
Cote d’Ivoire is hosting the tournament for the first time since 1984.
Meanwhile, Nigeria will take on Equatorial Guinea in their opening game on January 14 before facing Ivory Coast four days later and rounding off the group stage with the Guinea-Bissau tie.
Story: Ihuoma Ukeje
Media: Pooja Media/X