NAIROBI, Kenya, May 13 — William Ruto has called on African governments and development partners to translate commitments made during the Africa Forward Summit into tangible progress that improves the lives of people across the continent.Speaking during the closing ceremony of the summit in Nairobi, which he co-chaired alongside Emmanuel Macron, President Ruto said Africa is determined to shape its own future through ambition, innovation, and strategic partnerships.“Africa is not approaching the future with hesitation. Africa is approaching the future with ambition,” President Ruto said.He added that the continent is ready to take a leading role globally and will no longer wait to be invited into future opportunities.“From Nairobi, Africa sends a clear message to the world: Africa is ready to lead, ready to partner, and ready to shape a more balanced and prosperous future,” he said.President Ruto said the summit made significant commitments on energy transition and green industrialisation, noting that reliable energy remains central to Africa’s economic transformation.“No country can industrialise in the dark,” he said.The President also noted that discussions during the summit focused on infrastructure, Artificial Intelligence, innovation, healthcare, food systems, manufacturing, and the blue economy as Africa seeks to secure greater value from its resources and expand opportunities for its people.He emphasized that Africa aims to participate in the AI revolution not only as consumers of technology but also as developers and innovators.At the same time, President Ruto said the summit had established a new model of cooperation between Africa and its global partners based on mutual respect, shared prosperity, co-investment, and sovereign equality.“We will not allow ourselves to be exploited again. We will not allow ourselves again to be anyone’s slaves,” he said.On the reform of the global financial system, President Ruto argued that Africa should no longer remain at the margins despite its economic potential and growing population.He said high borrowing costs continue to limit development financing across African economies, making it difficult for countries to invest in large-scale transformation projects.“Africa therefore must have a stronger voice in shaping the rules that govern global finance, trade, technology and development,” he said.The President further urged African nations to strengthen domestic resource mobilisation and build stronger African financial institutions to finance development projects independently.President Ruto also thanked Emmanuel Macron for supporting efforts to redefine relations between Africa and France, describing him as a genuine partner of the continent.In his remarks, President Macron said the renewed partnership between Africa and France is based on equality, transparency, and a shared focus on future development.He noted that the summit created a platform for engagement between governments and the private sector, helping unlock €23 billion in investments from African and French investors expected to create thousands of jobs across the continent.Macron added that the Africa-France Impact Coalition, which brings together 40 Heads of State from Africa and France, is committed to ensuring sustainable implementation of the summit’s resolutions.“We are going to implement everything that we have mentioned,” President Macron said.He further stated that Africa is no longer viewed only as a continent of future promise but as a major player in the global present, warning that countries that continue exploiting Africa’s resources risk undermining their own future.President Macron also confirmed that discussions on reforming the international financial architecture and a shared declaration from the summit would be presented at the upcoming G7 meeting alongside President Ruto.