President William Ruto says Africa wants equal partnerships with global powers, with investment replacing the debt-driven relationships that leave countries under financial pressure.
President William Ruto has said African countries are seeking a different relationship with the world’s major powers—one built on sovereign equality, investment and mutual respect rather than dependence on loans.
Speaking about his participation in the G7 meeting, Ruto said he used the opportunity to make Kenya and Africa’s position clear to leaders including US President Donald Trump.
Ruto said African countries do not want to be treated as subordinate partners and should instead engage with developed nations as equals.
“Wakati nilienda mkutano ya G7 on behalf of Africa mimi niliambia wale akina Trump na wengine, niliwaambia tunataka sovereign equality, sisi hapana slaves ya mtu, tunataka kuheshimiana,” Ruto said.
The President said Africa’s economic relationship with wealthy nations should also move away from an overreliance on borrowing.
According to Ruto, African countries need investment that creates economic opportunities rather than loans that can leave governments struggling with repayment.
“Jambo la pili, hatutaki madeni, tunataka investment,” he said.
Ruto argued that the problem with some forms of borrowing is not simply receiving the money, but the obligations that follow.
He said countries can receive relatively small amounts of money only to find themselves under pressure to repay it, turning what was expected to be support into an economic burden.
“Kwa sababu mtu anakupea pesa kidogo alafu anakufanya unapiga magoti, mpaka unaona haina maana na saa hiyo utalipa hiyo pesa, si ya kusaidiana sasa mpaka unaona ikiwa hasara,” Ruto said.
Ruto’s investment argument
The remarks reflect Ruto’s broader emphasis on attracting private investment as a way of financing development and expanding economic activity.
Rather than relying primarily on external borrowing, his argument is that Africa should position itself to attract investors who put money into businesses, infrastructure and productive sectors of the economy.
For Ruto, the distinction is important: debt eventually has to be repaid, while investment is intended to generate economic activity and returns.
His message at the G7, as he presented it, was therefore not a rejection of international partnerships. It was a call for those partnerships to be structured around equality, respect and investment.
The President’s remarks also put the question of Africa’s financial independence at the centre of his message to the world’s major economies.
His position was straightforward: Africa wants partners, not masters—and capital that helps build economies rather than debt that leaves countries struggling to repay it.
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