Ruto calls for African solutions to African problems
Deputy President William Ruto has told African leaders to stop parading their problems to the world community.
Instead he told a congregation of African leaders meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to seek solutions to their problems.
He said most forums where African leaders meet are often reduced to lamentations about catastrophes and poverty afflicting the continent.
“We have to change this narrative that Africa is a continent that cannot solve its problems, that Africa is just about hunger and poverty, that whenever we meet it is sharing of our problems,” Ruto said.
“Let us meet and share successes and solutions of how we have resolved problems. Let our forums not be avenues to cry out to the West to help us.”
Mr Ruto said it was the failure by leaders to find solutions that has depicted Africa as a continent afflicted by disease, poverty, catastrophe and underdevelopment.
Mr Ruto said even developed countries had problems but they sought ways to resolve them.
The Deputy President said if African leaders came together they could resolve most of the problems as a continent.
ELIMINATE BARRIERS
Some of the African leaders that were present at the World Economic Forum meeting were Presidents Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (Mali), Alpha Conde (Guinea).
Also present were Ivory Coast Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan and Donald Kaberuka, the President of the African Development Bank, Cabinet Secretaries Amina Mohammed and Henry Rotich among other leaders.
The leaders discussed ideas that could accelerate inclusive growth and sustainable development for Africa.
Mr Kagame asked Africa to eliminate barriers that hampered trade and movement of people terming it as the biggest impediment to the growth of the contingent.
Mr Ruto proposed that all regional bodies like EAC, SADC and COMESA should be merged into one African block and marketed to the world.
Yesterday, West African countries agreed to form a power pool that will enable them generate power for the region easily.
The discussions are expected to continue during the World Economic Forum on Africa in June in South Africa.