Kenyan President William Ruto addresses G7 leaders to get them involved in Africa
A year after meeting in Japan, G7 leaders met under the Italian presidency in the region of Puglia. The group, which unites the economies of the most powerful countries (Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Japan) and the European Union, had a long list of guests that included Argentina, Brazil, India and to African countries such as Kenya or South Africa, led by the current president of the African Union, the Mauritanian Mohamed Ould Ghazouani. With climate change, Ukraine, Gaza, artificial intelligence or economic and energy security on the agenda, Italy proposed that they focus on the Mediterranean and Africa – mentioned in two of the six sessions; which the president of Kenya, William Ruto, took advantage of to publish an open letter to world leaders earlier.
In his letter, Ruto addressed the environmental, social and economic problems that Africa faces due to climate change; but above all it pointed out how Africans suffer interest rates “up to eight times higher than those of the typical World Bank loan”, perpetuating the cycle of debt. Ruto wrote that there is a historical “bias” that favors the rich and that developing countries end up being net contributors to financial flows. To solve it, he called for an urgent reform of international rules, referring to the G7 and the G20 to implement it. Without change, he argued, and without stable financing, Africa will not be able to adapt to climate change or transition to a decarbonized economy.
Of Ruto’s letter, what draws attention is the question to the prime minister, leader of the Brothers of Italy, Georgia Meloni, who he says had promised to be a friend of Africa and act as its envoy to the group. “We trust that she and other well-intentioned G7 leaders will unlock the financing that Africa needs,” he writes about the leader of a Government that has influenced investing in African countries, through the so-called Mattei Plan, to discourage emigrants from head to Italy. The plan also wants to turn Italy into a connecting port for the transfer of energy resources from Africa to Europe.
Joining the conversation, Pope Francis urged to cancel or reduce the debt of the poorest countries in the next Jubilee of 2025. According to the Pontiff, humanity faces a debt crisis that generates misery and deprivation incompatible with human dignity.
The leaders signed a declaration, also signed by representatives of the DRC, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria and South Africa, in which they commit to accelerate investment in Africa to utilize its “untapped” potential. in the generation of clean energy.
In the image above, the G7 leaders pose for a family photo. The meeting took place in the Italian city of Fasano. Photography: Antonio Masiello / Getty
