Nairobi — President William Ruto has urged African leaders to take bold and decisive action to accelerate the realisation of Agenda 2063.
The President said the continent's leadership has the responsibility to shape the trajectory of the continent's sustainable development by domesticating, implementing, and championing Agenda 2063.
He said the programme holds the potential not only to uplift individual nations, but also to transform Africa as a whole.
"The success of Agenda 2063 depends not on chance or hope, but on choice, resolve and relentless implementation," he said.
"Let us mobilise resources, strengthen governance, and forge partnerships that drive tangible results for the people of Africa," he added.
The President made the remarks during the virtual 42nd Session of the African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa's Development (AUDA-NEPAD) Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee on Monday.
The meeting was chaired by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt. Others who spoke were Presidents Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania, who is also the African Union chairperson, Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Hakainde Hichilema (Zambia), Ismail Omar Guelleh (Djibouti), Bassirou Diomaye Faye (Senegal), Mahamat Idris Deby (Chad) and Mohamed al-Manfi (Libya), among others.
President Ruto called on African nations to establish and strengthen national AUDA-NEPAD offices to ensure the seamless execution, tracking, and reporting of Agenda 2063.
"I call upon the AUDA-NEPAD continental secretariat to enhance the capacity of national offices, ensuring that vision translates into impact and ambition materialises into achievement," he added.
The President emphasised the need for good governance in managing the African Union Development Fund.
He said integrity, efficiency, and foresight are essential for success in driving Agenda 2063.
"Good intentions alone will not deliver results; only sound governance, strategic oversight, and collective responsibility will," he said.
Bold innovative financing
The President called for bold and innovative financing solutions that go beyond the traditional to address the financial challenges of facing infrastructure development across the continent.
He noted that the grand ambitions under the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa and the Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative face a crippling financing deficit that hinders Africa's growth.
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"This deficit is the barrier that slows our integration, deters investment, and stifles trade," he said.
He told the meeting that the first three berths of the Lamu Port are now complete and fully operational.
"I invite you all to utilise this new gateway for your shipping needs and be part of this transformative journey," he said.
President Ruto urged African nations that adopted the Kampala Declaration on agriculture to translate their commitments into action, investments into impact, and policies into prosperity.
He also called on the continent's leaders to champion green, climate-resilient growth by giving priority to sustainable energy, climate-smart agriculture, and bold mitigation measures.
"AUDA-NEPAD's role in supporting climate adaptation is indispensable, and we must forge strategic partnerships to combat this existential threat," he said.
On energy, the President said that the Energise Africa Initiative is designed to ignite opportunity, fuel enterprise, and power job creation, particularly for the youth, making it catalytic, inclusive, and transformational.
He noted that the initiative embodies Kenya's Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, which empowers individuals at the grassroots to shape their own economic future.
"Growth that is not inclusive is not real growth, just as progress that benefits only a few is not the progress Africa needs," he said.
