President William Ruto has urged G7 nations to back African-led financial institutions and embrace a new model of cooperation based on investment and mutual benefit rather than aid and dependency.

Addressing the G7+ Working Session on “Fostering New Partnerships and Rebuilding International Solidarity” in Evian, France, on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, Ruto said Africa was repositioning itself as a partner in solving global challenges and creating shared prosperity.

The president argued that Africa’s opportunities have long been overlooked while its risks have been exaggerated, resulting in the continent being excluded from key decisions affecting its future.

“For too long, Africa has been seen through the lens of need. Its risks overstated. Its opportunities understated. Its future decided in rooms where Africa had no seat,” Ruto said. He added that African nations are seeking partnerships founded on sovereign equality and mutual benefit rather than dependency.

Ruto said African leaders had agreed during the 2023 Africa Climate Summit that the continent would become part of the solution to climate change rather than remain a victim of its effects. He noted that this vision has since evolved into a broader consensus about Africa’s place in the global economy.

He identified access to affordable finance as one of the biggest obstacles to Africa’s development, saying many countries on the continent continue to borrow at significantly higher rates than peers despite having similar economic fundamentals.
He argued that the resulting financing gap has left many investment opportunities unfunded and delayed economic growth across the continent.

To address the challenge, Ruto said African countries are building their own multilateral financial institutions and strengthening mechanisms that can attract both domestic and international capital. He noted that Africa possesses more than $4 trillion in financial assets held in banks, pension funds, insurance firms and reserves, but lacks the financial architecture needed to channel those resources into long-term development investments.

He also highlighted Kenya’s efforts to finance its development agenda using domestic resources, saying the country had mobilised nearly $9 billion for affordable housing and about $1.5 billion for universal healthcare programmes.

Ruto called on G7 countries to support African institutions through guarantees and risk-sharing instruments, arguing that such tools would unlock significantly larger pools of capital for development projects across the continent. He singled out the African Trade & Investment Development Insurance (ATIDI) as one of the institutions capable of effectively deploying such support.

“A guarantee is not merely money. It is confidence. It is capital unlocked,” he said, adding that guarantees have the potential to mobilise resources far beyond their initial value.

In a strong appeal for a shift in global perceptions, Ruto said Africa should no longer be viewed as a burden or a problem but as a critical partner in driving future global prosperity.

“Africa is not a problem to be solved. Africa is the greater part of the solution,” he said. “Africa is not a burden to be carried. Africa is an opportunity to be seized.”

The remarks come as African leaders continue to push for reforms to the international financial system, greater access to climate financing and increased investment in infrastructure, industrialisation and green growth initiatives across the continent.