William Ruto
By Njoroge David
President William Ruto has urged African nations to embrace digital transformation to deepen regional integration, create jobs and secure economic independence as Kenya hosts the 24th Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Summit in Nairobi.
He told leaders from 21 member states that Africa must stop being a passive consumer of technology and instead become a producer and exporter of digital innovations to shape its own destiny.
“For far too long, Africa has been a passive recipient of technology. The time has come for us to become producers, innovators and exporters of digital solutions,” Ruto told delegates at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre.
Ruto said digitalisation of trade, manufacturing and financial systems will cut costs, expand markets and empower entrepreneurs.
He cited Kenya’s M-Pesa mobile payment platform as a model of homegrown innovation that revolutionised financial inclusion.
The two-day summit brings together heads of state and government from across the region, including Comoros President Azali Assoumani, Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Eswatini Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini and Egypt Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly.
They joined Ruto for a State House dinner on Wednesday night ahead of the official opening.
During the opening session, Ruto assumed the rotating chairmanship of COMESA from Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye, pledging to steer the bloc toward a digital-first and inclusive growth agenda.
He said Africa must harmonise digital policies, adopt common standards for e-commerce and data protection, and integrate cross-border payment systems to create a single digital market.
“Fragmentation is itself a non-tariff barrier,” he observed.
Ruto further called on African nations to reduce reliance on Western-dominated financial systems such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, saying Africa must build strength through its own financial institutions.
“Institutions like the Trade and Development Bank, Afreximbank and Africa Finance Corporation embody our determination to finance African priorities,” he noted.
Kenya, he added, has invested $150 million in Afreximbank and the Trade and Development Bank to expand access to long-term financing.
He also stressed that peace, security and good governance are essential for economic progress, remarking that “there can be no development without stability and no investment without peace.”
