Rédaction Africa Links 24 with The East African
Published on 2024-01-31 03:56:51
Kenya’s President William Ruto attended the Italy-Africa summit and defended his presence there despite his previous criticism of summoning African leaders to foreign capitals. In a statement issued after the meeting in Rome, President Ruto expressed support for the pragmatic arrangement of selecting a group of leaders to represent the continent, walking back some of his previous criticism. He noted that he had previously questioned the practice of inviting all 54 African nations to a meeting, stating that it did not necessarily serve Africa’s best interests.
President Ruto joined several other African leaders gathered for Italy’s Africa Summit. Rome is only the latest capital to host such summits after Beijing, London, Moscow, Brussels, New Delhi, Riyadh, and Washington. However, as far back as April last year, Ruto had voiced his dislike of being herded into halls or buses like schoolchildren and supported the idea of being represented by the African Union.
In Rome, it was understood that Ruto traveled as chairman of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC). His statement at the summit defended Africa’s right to extract fossil fuels, although he argued that local economies shouldn’t be dependent on them.
Other leaders attending the Italy-Africa Summit included Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Comoros leader and African Union Chairperson Azali Assoumani, Tunisia’s Kais Saied, Senegal’s Macky Sall, and Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Congo-Brazzaville. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, keen to reduce the burden of illegal immigrants from Africa, had rallied the continent’s leaders with an offer, pledging an initial €5.5 billion (Ksh965 billion) and calling it cooperation among equals.
Italy is also the biggest carrier of migrants from Africa, taking in some 157,000 last year, according to the European Commission. They arrived on risky boats off the coast of North Africa. Despite the previous criticism, Ruto’s attendance at the summit and his statements aimed to advocate for Africa’s best interests and the continent’s autonomy in international relations.
