President William Ruto departed for New York on Saturday evening ahead of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, carrying with him an agenda focused on financing, artificial intelligence and climate resilience for Africa.
State House spokesperson Hussein Mohamed said the president would use the trip to pursue partnerships in energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, health, agriculture and technology, framing the visit as part of a broader push to create jobs and open new markets for Kenya.
At the centre of the trip is what officials are calling an “Africa-financing-Africa” approach, under which Ruto is expected to press international financial institutions for reforms that would mobilise more African capital for the continent’s own infrastructure and enterprise needs, alongside calls for greater African representation within those institutions. He is set to co-chair roundtables with Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote through the Africa Finance Corporation and the Global Africa Business Initiative.
Kenya’s own National Infrastructure Fund, designed to mobilise up to forty billion dollars without adding to the country’s public debt burden, is expected to feature prominently in Ruto’s pitch to investors, alongside the roughly two-hundred-billion-shilling East Africa Refinery project planned for Lamu.
On artificial intelligence, Ruto is set to co-lead an “AI Middle Powers Initiative” together with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, aimed at pooling computing resources and technical talent among mid-sized economies. He is also expected to champion the African Development Bank’s ten-billion-dollar AI initiative and put his name to a global declaration on protecting children online in the age of artificial intelligence.
Climate resilience rounds out the agenda, with the president expected to launch an Africa Resilience Compact that would lean on artificial intelligence and satellite technology to improve the continent’s preparedness for extreme weather, including the El Niño rains currently being felt across the region. Diaspora engagement is also on the docket, with Ruto expected to meet Kenyans living abroad and advance plans for a dedicated diaspora investment platform.
The president is expected to address world leaders at the General Assembly in the coming days, with State House indicating further details of his engagements will be released as the UNGA week progresses.