Kenyan President William Ruto has called for a new era of African self determination, insisting that the continent’s transformation can only be achieved through African led solutions, innovation and economic sovereignty.
Speaking during the Africa Forward 2026 Summit held on May 12 under the theme “Africa France Partnership for Growth and Innovation,” Ruto said the time had come for Africa to stop depending on external powers to define its development path.
“For Africa to develop, it has to be Africa,” Ruto said, in one of the most powerful messages from the summit.
The Kenyan leader emphasized that Africa possesses enormous human capital, natural resources and innovation potential, but warned that continued dependence on raw commodity exports was slowing the continent’s progress.
“We cannot continue exporting raw materials and importing finished products while our young people remain unemployed. Africa must become a center of production, innovation, manufacturing and value addition,” he said.
Ruto’s remarks came as African leaders and representatives of the French Republic adopted a wide ranging declaration aimed at redefining cooperation between Africa and France through partnerships based on mutual respect, co development and shared prosperity.
The declaration acknowledged the rapidly changing global economic, technological and geopolitical environment and recognized Africa as a future driver of global growth, innovation and prosperity.
Leaders at the summit reaffirmed their commitment to a peaceful and rules based international order grounded in the principles of the United Nations Charter while also emphasizing sustainable development, inclusive growth and resilient economies.
On peace and security, the summit strongly backed African led interventions in conflict resolution and regional stabilization efforts.
The declaration reaffirmed support for the African Union Peace and Security Architecture and implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2719 to strengthen cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union.
The leaders also committed themselves to combating terrorism, cyber threats, arms trafficking, transnational organized crime, migrant smuggling and illegal drug trade across the continent.
The declaration specifically highlighted the need to strengthen institutional capacity in addressing ongoing instability in the Horn of Africa, the Great Lakes region and the Sahel.
Ruto noted that security and economic growth must go hand in hand.
“There can be no sustainable development without peace and stability. At the same time, poverty, unemployment and exclusion continue to fuel insecurity across many parts of Africa,” he said.
The summit further called for reforms at the United Nations Security Council to ensure Africa obtains fair and equitable representation in global decision making structures.
On agriculture, African leaders committed themselves to transforming the sector into a modern, climate resilient and competitive engine for economic growth.
The declaration emphasized agro industrialization, integrated value chains, climate smart farming and expansion of agro processing industries across the continent.
Leaders also pledged to invest in agricultural research, locally adapted seed systems, digital farming technologies and soil health management to improve food security and rural livelihoods.
The summit stressed that agriculture should no longer be viewed merely as subsistence activity but as a foundation for industrialization and economic sovereignty.
“We must transform agriculture from a source of survival into a source of wealth creation and industrial development,” Ruto said.
Special attention was also given to empowering women, youth and smallholder farmers through access to finance, land rights, innovation incubators and agri fintech solutions.
On healthcare, the declaration emphasized the importance of building resilient health systems capable of supporting Africa’s long term health sovereignty.
African leaders committed themselves to expanding universal health coverage, strengthening pandemic preparedness and increasing regional production of vaccines, medicines and medical technologies.
The declaration also supported investment in health workforce development, digital health systems and climate resilient healthcare infrastructure.
Leaders pledged support for the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism to improve access to affordable medicines and strengthen opportunities for African manufacturers.
The summit further emphasized collaboration with institutions such as the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization to strengthen research and innovation across the continent.
Energy transition and industrialization formed another major pillar of the summit discussions.
African leaders committed themselves to promoting green industrialization through investments in renewable energy, hydropower, geothermal projects, waste to energy systems and low carbon technologies.
The declaration emphasized Africa’s right to benefit from its own critical minerals through local processing, beneficiation and industrial value chains instead of exporting raw resources.
Ruto said Africa must leverage its mineral wealth to create jobs and build industries on the continent.
“Our minerals should create prosperity for Africans first. We cannot continue exporting opportunities while importing unemployment,” he said.
The summit also backed expansion of clean energy access, interconnected regional power markets and development of local clean energy manufacturing industries.
On climate change, leaders reaffirmed support for the Paris Agreement and called for fair climate financing that gives African countries greater voice in global climate governance.
The Blue Economy was also highlighted as a strategic frontier for economic transformation, job creation and environmental sustainability.
The declaration called for stronger African maritime sovereignty, climate resilient coastal economies and joint efforts to combat piracy, illegal fishing and trafficking.
African leaders also welcomed investments in renewable maritime energy, blue carbon ecosystems and low carbon shipping systems.
Digital transformation and artificial intelligence emerged as central themes during the summit.
The declaration recognized that AI and digital technologies are rapidly reshaping economies, governance, education, security and global competitiveness.
Leaders committed themselves to closing digital gaps affecting women, youth, rural communities and persons with disabilities.
The summit also emphasized investment in broadband connectivity, data centers, cloud infrastructure and African led AI systems.
Importantly, the declaration called for African ownership and control of data systems while promoting development of African language AI models and open source digital infrastructure.
Ruto warned against technological dependence that could leave Africa vulnerable in the digital age.
“Africa must not become a consumer at the margins of the artificial intelligence revolution. We must become creators, innovators and rule shapers in the digital future,” he said.
The declaration further called for stronger international cooperation to combat misinformation, cyber threats and online manipulation associated with emerging digital technologies.
On the global financial system, African leaders pushed for reforms in international financial institutions including the International Monetary Fund.
The declaration called for increased African representation on the IMF Executive Board and improved access to concessional financing for developing countries.
Leaders also advocated reforms in the global debt architecture to ensure predictable and coordinated debt restructuring mechanisms for struggling economies.
The summit concluded with renewed calls for partnerships that respect Africa’s sovereignty and development priorities.
Ruto said Africa’s future would ultimately depend on the continent’s willingness to believe in its own capacity and chart its own course.
“Africa has the people, the resources and the potential to lead in the future global economy. What we need now is unity, confidence and partnerships that respect Africa’s voice and Africa’s interests,” he said.
