President William Ruto has jetted out of the country to attend the annual summit of the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Rwanda.

The head of state arrived in the neighbouring country on Friday, May 17, 2024, afternoon for a series of engagements on the second day of the conference.

The President will have a high-level meeting with investors drawn from the private sector across Africa and around the world. He will then have a presidential panel and an interview with the ‘Financial Times’ of the United Kingdom.

“President William Ruto has arrived in Kigali, Rwanda, for the annual summit of the Africa CEO Forum. He has several engagements, including a high-level meeting with investors, a presidential panel and an interview with the ‘Financial Times’ of the United Kingdom,” State House stated.

He jetted out of the country for Rwanda moments after hosting Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni who was in Kenya for a three-day state visit.

Africa CEO Forum

The annual summit of the Africa CEO Forum is an international meeting organized by the African private sector. It entails two days of conferences, debates and high-level meetings dedicated to highlighting the private sector’s driving role in the continent’s development.

The business conference was first created in 2012 to bring together the continent’s most influential CEOs and investors, representing the entire Africa-focused ecosystem in one place.

The Africa CEO Forum was officially opened by Rwanda President Paul Kagame on Thursday, May 16, 2024.

President Ruto has been to several summits since he assumed office in September 2022, in and outside Africa.

Ruto on January 19, 2024, was in Kampala, Uganda for the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit where the host President Yoweri Museveni was elected unanimously as the Chairman of NAM.

On April 29, 2024, Ruto officially opened the International Development Association (IDA21) Summit in Nairobi which was attended by about 16 African Heads of State.

He stressed the need for the conference to source more funding for equal development across the continent.

Ruto Criticized

In January 2024, a section of Kenyans faulted President Ruto for the many trips he was making to attend some of the summits held outside the continent after he attended the Italy-Africa summit.

Ruto, however, has always defended his numerous foreign trips, saying it was through the trips that he has been able to secure several deals in favour of the country.

In October 2023, Ruto while defending his foreign summits termed himself as Kenya’s chief agent and ambassador noting that the development of the country can only be achieved through planning.