"Africa needs investment, not charity" - President Kenyatta

NEW YORK, United Nations

Kenya’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta, on Wednesday September 23 challenged the world to see Africa as an investment partner rather than a charity case amid global efforts to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

President Uhuru Kenyatta in a recorded video address to the SDG Moment side meeting of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA76) on September 23, 2021.

“We must make concerted, structural changes that will enable a quantum increase in investment and technology transfers, not as charity. A fast-developing Africa will offer the entire world the benefit of its demographic dividend of youth and vast economic opportunities,” he said, adding that the continent can become an engine of sustainable global growth.

In a pre-recorded speech to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the President said the world will need to recraft its policies to ensure that they are environmentally sound, create jobs and encourage innovation, as part of lessons from the pandemic.

President Kenyatta also reckons that the pandemic had shown that the existing multilateral system was flawed and that it was erroneous to leave the continent behind.

Pandemic agenda, US vaccine donation

At this year’s 76th UNGA session, talk of the pandemic was on every leader’s lips even though the theme of the gathering was climate change.

Earlier, US President Joe Biden had, during a sidelines summit on Covid-19, made more proposals to “build back better” from the pandemic, pledging 500 million more doses of Pfizer vaccines to poor countries and an investment of more than $1 billion to support vaccine distribution and the work of GAVI, the global vaccine alliance.

President Biden also promised to promote local vaccine production in South Africa to help supply jabs to the continent.

But for President Kenyatta, he noted that Africa’s recovery, along with the rest of the world, will require adopting policies that target both health protection, economic recovery, peace and security, and conservation to manage climate change.

“We must put equitable vaccine access at the core of building back better from this Covid-19. We need to provide tangible financial support to developing countries and ensure that a significant portion of green manufacturing is located in developing countries,” he said.