President William Ruto, who last year spoke against African leaders being called by world leaders, will be among 20 attending Italy – Africa Summit in yet another foreign trip. He had instead said African leaders should be represented by the AU.
Announcing the visit on Sunday, State House spokesperson Hussein Mohamed said President Ruto will, among other engagements, deliver an address on energy security in his capacity as the chairman of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC).
In his 47th foreign trip since coming to power in September 2022. the President is also scheduled to engage in bilateral discussions with Italy President Sergio Mattarella to “foster bilateral cooperation”.
“The leaders will review agreements reached during President Mattarella’s State Visit to Kenya last year and in subsequent meetings with the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni,” Hussein added.
He added that the President’s agenda includes bilateral engagements with European Union leaders, World Bank, and IMF officials.
Ruto will also meet African leaders involved in peace processes in the DRC, Sudan, and South Sudan.
But the President stands accused of double speak, having gone on record attending the same kind of meeting he called out in different instances last year.
For instance, in April last year, Ruto said African leaders should be respected on the global stage and not be treated as children by world leaders.
Speaking at the 2023 IGW African Leadership Ceremony with Mo Ibrahim, President Ruto said African leaders deserve the same level of respect as leaders from any other part of the world, and should not be summoned and lectured by a single leader from a powerful country.
“There is a debate that is going to evolve. Like for example, we have also decided that it will not going to be business as usual. We have these meetings Africa-US Meeting, Africa-Europe, Africa -Turkey, Africa-India, Africa-Russia, and Africa-Japan.
“We have made the decision that it is not intelligent for 54 of us to go and sit before one gentleman from another place. And sometimes we are mistreated. We are loaded into buses like school kids. It’s not right. So the decision we have made as AU is that going forward, if there is going to be a discussion between Africa and any other country, we are going to be represented by the chair (of the African Union Commission),” he said.
And while he said he would not travel for the Russia-Africa Summit in July last year, and would instead be represented by organs of the AU, he attended the Saudi-Africa Summit in person, and now proceeds for the Italy-Africa Summit.
AU Assembly’s Decision 762 of February 2020 resolved that the African Union/African Continent is to be represented at partnership meetings between the African Union/African Continent and a partner country by the Members of the Bureau of the Assembly of the Union, as well as chairpersons of Regional Economic Communities (RECs), the Chairperson of the Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC) of AUDA-NEPAD and the Chairperson of the AU Commission.
