Ruto Advocates for Investment Over Aid at Africa Summit

At the Africa Forward Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya, on Tuesday, President William Ruto declared that African nations no longer desire aid but instead seek investment and equal partnerships with countries worldwide. The summit was attended by 30 African presidents, including Nigeria's Bola Tinubu and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Ruto emphasized that Africa is ready to lead economic transformation and called for reforms in the international financial architecture to reduce high borrowing costs that penalize African countries. He described the summit's theme as a turning point towards better partnerships.

Macron also addressed the summit, stressing the need for Africa to reduce dependency on the U.S. and China, particularly in technology and energy. He announced plans to expand digital training centers for one million young Africans by 2030.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted the unfairness of high borrowing costs for African nations and called for deeper reforms in global institutions to support Africa's economic potential.