NAIROBI, Kenya, June 17 – President William Ruto has urged G7 nations to support Africa through investment guarantees and reforms to the global financial system, saying the continent should be viewed as a major driver of future global growth rather than a burden requiring aid.
Speaking during the G7 Summit in Évian, France, President Ruto called for a new framework of international cooperation based on partnership, investment and sovereign equality.
According to a statement from the Executive Office of the President, Ruto attended the summit at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron and represented Kenya and broader African priorities during the high-level meetings held from June 15 to 17.
The President participated in three G7+ working sessions where he pushed for reforms in global finance, investment partnerships and international governance.
During the session on “Fostering New Partnerships and Rebuilding International Solidarity,” Ruto challenged long-standing perceptions about Africa and argued that the continent’s opportunities have for years been overlooked.
“He declared that the era in which Africa was seen through the lens of need, its risks overstated, its opportunities understated, and its future decided in rooms where it had no seat, is ending,” the statement said.
Ruto criticized what he described as unfair borrowing costs imposed on African countries despite comparable economic fundamentals with other regions.
He argued that outdated risk assessment models continue to lock African economies out of affordable capital and investment opportunities.
The President noted that Africa holds more than $4 trillion in financial assets but lacks the financial architecture needed to channel pension funds, insurance pools and central bank reserves into long-term development investments.
He urged G7 nations to work with Africa in strengthening financial institutions and expanding guarantee instruments to unlock investment.
“Work with us in building institutions through guarantees and other risk-sharing instruments deployed through existing vehicles such as the African Trade and Investment Development Insurance (ATIDI). A guarantee, though not money, is confidence,” Ruto said.
The President further emphasized that Africa should not merely export raw materials but should instead build industries, process minerals locally and create jobs through value addition.
In another summit session titled “Reviving Balanced and Shared Growth for All,” Ruto said Africa will play a central role in shaping the global economy in the coming decades.
He noted that six of the world’s fastest-growing economies are in Africa and projected that by 2050 the continent will account for nearly 40 percent of the global workforce and become the world’s largest market with over 2.5 billion people.
Ruto also highlighted Africa’s strategic importance in food security, energy transition and technology development due to its vast arable land, critical minerals and energy resources.
“Pay attention to Africa. The future of global growth will be shaped there,” he said.
The President also used the summit to advance Africa’s position on artificial intelligence and digital safety during discussions on the safe and effective deployment of AI technologies.
He stressed the need for stronger platform accountability, particularly around online child protection, harmful content and AI-generated abuse.
According to the statement, Kenya called for stronger age-appropriate safeguards, parental controls and improved safety measures in Kiswahili, Sheng and other African languages.
Ruto said African countries and communities must be included in shaping global technology governance as digital adoption accelerates across the continent.
The statement further noted that Kenya’s contributions influenced the summit’s discussions on global growth, international partnerships and artificial intelligence, and were reflected in several outcome documents adopted during the meeting.
The President maintained that Africa should be viewed as a strategic partner capable of driving global prosperity through equitable partnerships, investment and innovation.
“Africa is not a problem to be solved, but the greater part of the solution; not a burden of history to be carried, but a current opportunity to be harnessed,” Ruto said.
