The speech comes after two days of intensive diplomacy in which the Kenyan leader has placed investment mobilisation, artificial intelligence, and global institutional reform at the heart of Africa’s message to the world.
Ruto has used the UNGA platform to argue that Africa already possesses significant domestic savings, yet these resources remain poorly channelled into productive development.
He has called for a fundamental shift in how international financial institutions operate moving them from traditional lenders to catalysts that help African countries unlock and deploy their own capital more effectively.
At the Kenya-European Union Partnership for Multilateralism Summit on Tuesday, the President rejected the familiar geopolitical framing that forces African nations to choose between East and West.
“We are not facing east nor are we facing west; we are facing forward,” he declared, insisting that the continent seeks genuine partnerships based on mutual benefit rather than alignment or dependency.
On the sidelines of the Assembly, Ruto held talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The two leaders explored expanded cooperation in trade, technology, critical minerals, energy and regional security.
According to State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott, they specifically discussed how Kenya’s mineral resources could position the country as a significant player in the sector while creating opportunities for American companies to invest in local value addition instead of simple extraction.
Ruto’s broader agenda at the 81st UNGA includes attracting both African and international capital, elevating the continent’s role in shaping the global digital and artificial intelligence economy, and pressing for reforms that give developing nations a stronger voice in multilateral institutions.
His address on Wednesday is expected to crystallise these priorities before fellow heads of state and government under the Assembly’s overarching theme of restoring trust and making the United Nations more effective for all.