Ruto hits out at global lenders, calls for Africa's inclusion

President William Ruto arrives in Évian-les-Bains, France, for the 2026 G7 Summit. [PCS]

President William Ruto has once again called for the inclusion of Africa in reforming the international financial and governance institutions.  

Speaking during a media interview in Evian, France, on the sidelines of the G7 Summit yesterday, the President pointed out that these institutions need to be democratised, including the United Nations Security Council, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, for the benefit of all nations. 

“We are not asking for special treatment as Africa, but there must be equal treatment,” he said.  

The President explained that Africa was not a passive observer in global affairs but an active participant shaping emerging systems of cooperation and development. 

Ruto regretted that Africa was not at the table when some of the financial and governance institutions were set up after the Second World War in 1945.  

“As the African continent, we need a new paradigm shift with our partners. We need a new relationship and a new engagement,” he said.  

Ruto has on several occasions attacked global financial institutions, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), calling for their dismantling as they no longer serve the needs of many member states. 

In April last year, at a public lecture at Peking University, the President termed the Bretton Woods Institutions as outdated and out of touch with today’s realities. He noted that the world today is grappling with different challenges than what the institutions were created to tackle many years ago.  

At the time, Ruto noted that the institutions had remained warriors of a bygone era while the world is now marked by globalisation. 

He repeated similar calls in the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in July last year, further pushing for reforms to the international financial architecture. 

Yesterday, Ruto insisted that the current international system must evolve to reflect fairness, inclusivity and shared responsibility, cautioning that fragmented responses to global challenges would only worsen instability. 

He also called on the need to increase the representation of Africa in global organisations. 

The President said he was confident that the G7 meeting will facilitate reforms at the UN Security Council to ensure it is democratic, representative and accountable.