OGDEN -- The city council will host a delegation from the African country of Mali next month to provide the group with insights into the workings of municipal government.
Sixteen Malian mayors and five city managers will visit several Utah cities in December, said Bill Cook, the city council's executive director.
The event is being coordinated by the Utah League of Cities and Towns.
Brigham Young University graduate Yeah Samake, mayor of the village of Ouelessebougou and candidate for president of Mali, arranged for the delegation to visit Utah.
Mali, which is in West Africa, has a population of about 14.9 million and is about the size of Texas and California combined, according to the U.S. State Department.
The average Mali worker's annual salary is the equivalent of $1,500, making it one of the poorest countries in the world, according to www.worldatlas.com.
On Dec. 6, a few members of the Mali delegation will tour Ogden and then attend a city council meeting.
On Dec. 8, members of the group will meet with Mayor Matthew Godfrey and will visit the Public Safety Building, 2186 Lincoln Ave., and The Junction, an entertainment, retail and residential complex downtown.
The public is also invited to attend a reception with the Malian officials that night from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Union Station, 2501 Wall Ave.
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