Kenyan president says Africa can develop with its own resources

GOOBJOOG NEWS | NAIROBI: Kenyan president William Ruto has said it is possible to build a more integrated, prosperous and stable Africa.

Speaking while addressing the Fifth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union, the Regional Economic Communities, the Regional Mechanisms and the African Union Member States at the UN Complex inNairobi, Ruto argued that the initiative must be Africa-driven by its own people, leaders and resources.

He opined that the starting point of such an initiative should be the reforming of the African Union and regretted that over five decades after independence, the continent still relies on external funding to drive its agenda.

“We must free the AU from constraints so that it can pursue urgent and critical interventions in the continent using internally-generated resources,” said President Ruto.

It was not right, he insisted, for over 60 per cent of AU programmes to be financed by overseas partners.

President Ruto said the Pan-African movement has always been about sovereignty.

“The chronic dependence on well-meaning partners is inconsistent with this aspiration.”

The Kenyan leader told the session that African integration is unstoppable as it will open doors for unprecedented transformation.

He pointed out that the African Continental Free Trade Area will be the world’s largest free-trade area, bringing together 54 countries.

“This single market will lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty and boost incomes.”

Ruto explained that the success of COP27 in Egypt was a signal that Africa is taking off.

“It showed that Africa can speak in one voice and contribute to global development and climate action.”

Present were Presidents Azali Assoumani (Comoros), Ali Bongo (Gabon), Abdel Fattah (Egypt), Macky Sall (Senegal), Ismail Guelleh (Djibouti) and Bola Tinubu (Nigeria), African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki, among others.