African and global leaders at the Africa Forward Summit called for fairer partnerships, financial reforms and stronger continental representation.
Kenyan President William Ruto on Tuesday declared that Africa no longer wants aid from Europe or global financial institutions, insisting instead on investment, equal partnerships and African-led economic transformation.
Ruto spoke at the opening of the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and over 30 African leaders.
The summit, themed “Africa-France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth,” focused on economic reforms, innovation, climate action, technology and the restructuring of global financial systems.
Addressing participants, Ruto said Africa was tired of unequal relationships and wanted partnerships built on mutual respect, investment and shared prosperity.
“Africa wants investment and equal partnership, not aid,” the Kenyan leader declared, describing the summit as a “turning point” in relations between Africa and France.
He argued that the continent possesses the capacity to drive industrialisation, innovation and sustainable economic growth if given fair access to financing and investment opportunities.
Ruto also called for urgent reforms to the international financial architecture, insisting that African countries continue to face unfairly high borrowing costs because global credit rating agencies exaggerate the continent’s risk profile.
According to him, the inflated risk perception has continued to push interest rates higher for African economies despite their growth potential and resource base.
The Kenyan president further described Africa as a “continent of solutions,” capable of driving technological innovation and economic transformation rather than merely receiving foreign assistance.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who co-hosted the summit, called for what he described as “strategic autonomy” for both Africa and Europe.
Macron said the two continents face a common challenge of reducing dependence on the United States and China for critical technology, artificial intelligence and strategic minerals.
“A lot of solutions are made in the US or made in China. We have a common fight, a common battle together to build our strategic autonomy for Europe and Africa,” he said.
The French leader stressed that Africa’s digital and artificial intelligence ambitions would require greater investment in renewable energy and electricity infrastructure.
Macron announced plans to expand Orange Digital Centres across Africa with the target of training one million young Africans by 2030 through the establishment of 50 new centres.
He also declared that the era of the old Françafrique model was over, saying relations between Africa and France must now be based on mutual respect and partnership rather than paternalism.
“Previously European chiefs would lecture African leaders on what they needed, but this is no longer what Africa needs or wants to hear,” Macron said.
The French President, however, urged African leaders to strengthen governance and accountability, insisting that colonialism alone could not explain all of Africa’s present-day challenges.
On cultural restitution, Macron described the return of looted African artworks as “unstoppable,” referencing a recently passed French law supporting the repatriation of stolen artefacts.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres also used the summit to renew calls for reforms to global governance institutions, describing Africa’s exclusion from permanent representation on the UN Security Council as a “historic injustice.”
“There will be no justice before there will be permanent African members in the Security Council,” Guterres declared.
He lamented what he described as an unfair global financial system that labels African countries as high-risk destinations despite their economic potential.
The UN chief said climate-vulnerable African countries were still waiting for financial support earlier promised by developed nations, while urging reforms to the global financing structure to ensure fairer access to capital and climate funding.
Guterres also raised concerns over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan, warning that civilians were paying “an unconscionable price” for the conflict.
He called for an immediate ceasefire and a Sudanese-led civilian transition process, while emphasising the need for stronger cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union.
The summit brought together African leaders, global investors, policymakers and development institutions to discuss pathways for accelerating growth, strengthening partnerships and reshaping Africa’s role in the global economy.