NAIROBI, Kenya, June 15 – President William Ruto will travel to Evian, France, later tonight to attend the G7 Leaders’ Summit, where he is expected to represent Africa and advocate for the continent’s economic and development priorities.
According to a statement from the State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohammed, Ruto’s invitation to the summit, extended by French President Emmanuel Macron, reflects Kenya’s growing diplomatic profile and its role in global discussions on economic governance and development.
“President Ruto’s invitation to the summit reflects the growing recognition of Kenya’s strategic leadership role in global affairs and the confidence placed in his voice on matters concerning Africa and the Global South,” Mohammed stated.
At the summit, President Ruto is expected to present Africa’s unified position as developed during the Africa Forward Summit held in Nairobi last month, which outlined key priorities including economic transformation, reforms to the global financial system, climate action and digital development.
The Head of State will join leaders of the world’s major economies, among them President Emmanuel Macron of France, former U.S. President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, United Kingdom Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, alongside other invited global partners.
Ruto is expected to use the platform to push for reforms to the international financial architecture, including improved access to affordable credit and increased investment flows into African economies.
He will also seek to advance implementation of proposals from the Africa Forward Summit aimed at unlocking financing for infrastructure, enterprise development and job creation across the continent, including expanded opportunities for Kenyan businesses.
“The President will articulate Africa’s unified position on economic transformation, financial reform, climate action and digital development as outlined in the Africa Forward Summit held in Nairobi,” Mohammed noted.
The President is further expected to highlight Africa’s position on emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, calling for equitable access to digital tools, increased investment in innovation ecosystems and stronger digital infrastructure across the continent.
According to State House, Ruto will also engage global technology leaders on the sidelines of the summit, including executives from major firms such as OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Nvidia, Anthropic, Mistral AI, Cohere and others, in discussions aimed at positioning Kenya as a regional digital and innovation hub.
In addition, the President is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with several heads of state and government to strengthen economic partnerships and attract investment into priority sectors including manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, agriculture, housing, healthcare and digital services.
The engagements are expected to focus on expanding investment opportunities under Kenya’s national development agenda, with emphasis on job creation and economic growth.
State House said the President’s participation at the G7 Summit is expected to strengthen Kenya’s economic diplomacy, deepen strategic partnerships and reinforce the country’s position as a gateway to Africa in global trade and investment discussions.
