Kenyan President William Ruto has said Africa must look inward for solutions to its development challenges, citing the Dangote Refinery as a clear example.
Speaking at a programme on Thursday, Ruto said Nigeria struggled with fuel shortages for years despite being an oil-producing country, until a local solution emerged.
“Nigeria has been producing oil for years, yet people queued for fuel,” he said. “Until one African stepped forward and built a refinery — Aliko Dangote.”
He stressed that the solution to the long-standing problem did not come from Europe or Asia.
“The solution wasn’t in Europe, it wasn’t in Asia. The solution was in Nigeria,” he said.
Ruto added that Africa has the leadership, investors and capacity to transform its economies without relying on external help.
“In this room, we have the political leadership, the industrialists, and the financiers to transform our continent,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Kenyan president outlined his country’s infrastructure plans, saying his government has established a national infrastructure fund and is working to create a sovereign wealth fund.
According to him, Kenya aims to mobilise about $40 billion over the next decade through public and private investments.
He said the country has already raised $3 billion within a short period.
Ruto added that the funds will support major projects in transport, logistics and energy.
He said Kenya plans to expand its road network by over 28,000 kilometres in the next seven years and generate an additional 10,000 megawatts of electricity.
According to him, the investments will drive industrialisation and sustain economic growth.