President William Ruto addressing the Africa Forward Summit at the KICC on May 12, 2026/PCSPresident William Ruto has called on global partners to shift their approach to Africa’s development, insisting that the continent does not need charity but meaningful investments that unlock its vast economic potential.
Speaking during the Africa Forward Summit at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Ruto said Africa is ready to move beyond aid dependency and embrace a new model of development based on investment, innovation and mutual benefit.
“What Africa requires today is not charity but investments, not extraction but value creation, not dependency but mutually beneficial partnerships capable of unlocking shared prosperity,” Ruto said.
The Head of State emphasised that Africa is richly endowed with resources and human capital that position it as a key driver of global economic transformation.
“Our continent possesses vast natural resources, critical minerals, fertile land, immense renewable energy potential, expanding consumer markets, dynamic entrepreneurs and the youngest population in the world,” he said.
Ruto argued that Africa must redefine its development trajectory by moving away from outdated models anchored on aid and unsustainable borrowing.
“The era in which Africa’s development was principally framed through aid, dependency and unsustainable borrowing must give way to a new paradigm grounded in investment, innovation, domestic resource mobilization and strategic partnerships built in sovereign equality and mutual benefit,” he stated.
He further stressed that Africa’s role in the global economy has evolved, noting that the continent should no longer be viewed as a recipient of assistance but as a critical partner in solving global challenges.
“Africa is not part of the global problem, Africa is in fact the solution to the global challenges that exist today, including those of our continent,” Ruto said.
The summit has attracted high-level delegates from across Africa and beyond, including Heads of State, business leaders, innovators and representatives from international financial institutions.
The meeting, jointly hosted by Ruto and French President Emmanuel Macron, is being held on May 11 and 12 in Nairobi, bringing together African Union officials, development partners, private sector leaders and creatives for discussions on the continent’s future.
Organisers say the forum is designed to reshape Africa’s relationship with France and strengthen broader global cooperation on trade, climate change, technology and sustainable development.
The summit is being held under the High Patronage of both Ruto and Macron and is co-organised by institutions including Bpifrance, Business France and Proparco.
According to organisers, more than 1,500 economic and institutional leaders from Africa and France are participating in the summit, making it one of the largest continental economic forums hosted in Nairobi in recent years.
Ruto said the discussions at the summit must translate into tangible outcomes that strengthen Africa’s industrial base, infrastructure development and technological innovation capacity.
He called for deeper collaboration between African governments and private investors, arguing that unlocking domestic capital and strengthening partnerships will be key to bridging the continent’s development financing gaps
