Mayor Monroe Nichols, Tulsa City leaders, the delegation from Mwanza, Tanzania, and the Tulsa Global Alliance held a formal signing ceremony today further marking the formal partnership between Tulsa and Mwanza.
The ceremony was held in the Grand Hall at the Arvest Convention Center earlier this afternoon.
"I want to thank the representatives from Mwanza, the Tulsa Global Alliance, and everyone who made this partnership possible," Mayor Nichols said. "I am excited to begin working with and learning from our new Sister City, and I couldn't be happier to build this relationship and strengthen our cities in the months and years ahead."
The Mwanza delegation's visit to Tulsa is its first in-person meeting with Tulsa leaders since the City and Tulsa Global Alliance traveled to Mwanza last May/June for the initial signing ceremony.
Mwanza is Tulsa's first Sister City on the continent of Africa and has ties to Tulsa through local nonprofit Mainsprings that helped bring the city to Tulsa’s attention. Over the past several decades, numerous Tulsans have visited the city and made ties to the region. Mwanza is the second largest city in Tanzania, which is the capital of the Mwanza region with a population of more than 1.3 million. The city is also known as the “City of Rocks.”
Micah Keyan, Executive Director of the Tulsa Global Alliance, had this to say about the partnership:
"Tulsa Global Alliance is honored to partner with the City of Tulsa and the Mayor's Office to manage Tulsa’s Sister City Partnerships. After the incredible hospitality our fellow Tulsans received during the initial signing ceremony in Mwanza, Tanzania, last summer, our Tulsa community is excited to reciprocate with a secondary ceremony celebrating this special relationship. This week, we welcome our first official delegation from Mwanza, and we’re excited to finally host the final signing ceremony in Tulsa. Years in the making, this partnership engages key sectors in our two cities, including economic development, education, healthcare, arts, sports, science and technology, tourism, cultural exchanges, and more. I’d like to thank our Mwanza committee volunteers, TGA community partners, Mayor Nichols, Tulsa City Council, City of Tulsa staff, and all Tulsans for coming together to help us strengthen our global community!"
Tulsa’s eight other international Sister Cities include: Amiens, France; Beihai, China; Celle, Germany; Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Lan Luis Potosi, Mexico; Tiberias, Israel; Utsunomiya, Japan; and Zelenograd, Russia.
Just last week, Mayor Nichols met with exchange students from one of Tulsa's other Sister Cities - Utsunomiya, Japan - to celebrate the 30-year partnership.
For additional information on Tulsa's Sister City partnership, visit www.tulsaglobalalliance.org.
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