President William Ruto has called for urgent reforms in global financial and trade systems to unlock Africa’s potential in green industrialization and climate action, stressing that success depends on both African leadership and international solidarity.
Speaking at the Second Africa Climate Summit in Addis Ababa, President Ruto underscored the need to move from vision to action by building a modern, inclusive, and green industrial base on the continent.
He said Ethiopia’s emphasis on implementation and finance as host was timely and critical in shifting climate debates from pledges to results.
“Africa must exercise its agency decisively, urgently, and coherently; and the international system must dismantle the structural barriers that continue to hold the continent back,” Ruto stated.
He noted that African nations are already stepping up through progressive policies, stronger institutions, and regional mechanisms such as the Alliance of African Multilateral Financial Institutions, the African Credit Rating Agency, and the Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative, which is being advanced alongside the Accelerated Partnership for Renewables in Africa (APRA).
“These initiatives are ensuring that investment drives progress in both energy and industry – the twin engines of a modern African economy built on abundant clean power,” the President said.
Ruto also highlighted the need for deeper fiscal discipline, trade integration, governance reforms, and mobilization of African institutional capital to build resilience.
He urged global partners to support Africa’s efforts by lowering the cost of capital, expanding concessional financing, reforming global financial institutions, and opening markets for Africa’s value-added goods, from climate-smart agriculture to carbon credits.
“The Nairobi Declaration is a political compact. Africa must lead in advancing this agenda, while international partners have the responsibility and the self-interest to support it,” Ruto emphasized.