Ruto: Kenya on course for first-world status through digitisation, infrastructure push

President William Ruto delivered a public lecture in Rome, Italy, on Kenya and Africa's investment possibilities and the place of the continent in the emerging global order.

Speaking at the Luiss School of Government on Tuesday on the theme, 'Kenya: A Country Looking Towards the Future', the President said Kenya is redesigning government systems through digitisation of services in an effort to make them more accessible, transparent, and responsive.

"For too long, especially in leadership, have tolerated the average and constrained our ambition. That era has come to an end," he said.

The President pointed out that his administration is raising the scale of its ambition, with a clear objective to transform Kenya into a first-world economy within our lifetime.

He explained that the government is undertaking rapid expansion of critical transport and connectivity infrastructure, including roads, rail, airports, and seaports as one of its three critical priority areas.

Noting that government is also strengthening export-led agricultural transformation and food security through large-scale irrigation, he said this would be anchored in the construction of at least 50 mega dams to bring more than 2.5 million acres of land into productive use.

"Indeed, a key outcome of my visit to Italy is to advance the development of at least three of these strategic projects," he said.

Additionally, President Ruto said the government plans to more than triple the country's installed electricity capacity in the next seven years to uptake modern technology, power industrial growth and sustain economic expansion.

"Industrialisation requires energy that is reliable, affordable, and sufficient to match the pace of enterprise," he said.

To deliver on this ambition, President Ruto said Kenya is adopting innovative financing models anchored in partnership with the private sector and other investors.

Through the recently established National Infrastructure Fund and Sovereign Wealth Fund, the President pointed out, Kenya is mobilising public and private, domestic and foreign capital to finance major priority projects worth an estimated €33 billion (Ksh.5 trillion).

On the role of Africa in global affairs, the President said efforts are being made to deepen intra-African trade, expanding manufacturing, and accelerating value addition across our economies.

"Africa is not merely the next frontier of global trade and investment; it is one of the defining opportunities of our time," he said.

Through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) President Ruto pointed out that Africa is unlocking a single market of 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP of $3.7 trillion.

"According to the World Bank, AfCFTA has the potential to increase Africa’s exports by over $560 billion by 2035, with substantial gains in manufacturing and industrial goods," he explained.

For partners such as the European Union, the President pledged that  African growth and expansion represents a strategic opportunity.

"The EU is already Africa’s largest trading partner, accounting for up to 30 per cent of total trade, with volumes exceeding €400 billion annually. Yet much of this trade remains concentrated in raw materials, an imbalance we must urgently address together. Now!" he said.

He lamented that today, manufactured goods account for less than 20 per cent of Africa’s exports compared to over 70 per cent in more industrialised regions.

"Across the continent, and certainly in Kenya, we are investing in industrial parks, special economic zones, and regional value chains to build a competitive manufacturing base," President Ruto pointed out.

At the same time, the President revisited his call on the international financing system, saying it was biased especially in regard to climate change and action.

He said African countries face disproportionately high costs of capital not always due to underlying fundamentals, but as a result of structural biases in global risk assessment.

"Credit rating systems, largely calibrated to advanced economies, frequently fail to reflect the resilience, growth potential, and reform trajectories of African markets," he noted.

He noted that institutions such as the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme have acknowledged that African countries and across the Global South often pay significantly higher interest rates than advanced economies even where debt levels are comparable or lower.

"In times of crisis, we have witnessed abrupt credit rating downgrades, sometimes preceding actual debt default, triggering capital flight and further constraining fiscal space. This is not merely a market outcome; it reflects a deeper structural imbalance.

He said a more just, balanced, and responsive global financial system reflects not only past performance but also future potential.

"This is not a call for concession. It is a call for fairness, for accuracy, and for a system that is truly global in both design and outcome," he said.

Without such reform, President Ruto said, the world risks perpetuating a cycle in which those who most need capital to grow remain the least able to access it.

"That outcome is neither sustainable nor just for Africa or for the world. Nowhere is this imbalance more evident, or more consequential, than in the global response to climate change," he explained.

Earlier, President Ruto said Kenya, in collaboration with the development partners, is investing in knowledge through agreements on higher education, training, and research.

He said the government is strengthening digital infrastructure, through the Blue-Raman cable delivered by Telecom Italia Sparkle, connecting Kenya seamlessly to Europe and Asia.

"We are advancing frontier capability, with the Luigi Broglio Space Centre evolving into a hub for artificial intelligence satellite and earth observation. This is a partnership built not merely on intent, but on delivery," he said.

He made the remarks at 'The Growing Together Through Partnership: How Venture Capital in Italy and Kenya Can Drive the Next Wave of Innovation" in Rome on Tuesday.

He said the Nairobi International Financial Centre provides a clear institutional entry point for global capital.

"Our legal architecture, through investment agreements and tax treaties, ensures certainty," the President pointed out.

And during a meeting with the International Fund for Agricultural (IFAD) President Alvaro Lario, President Ruto said the agriculture sector is critical in securing food security and is the largest employer in Kenya.

The President thanked IFAD for the institution’s $40 million (Ksh.5.2 billion) support for the dairy sector.

He also met Italian Chamber of Deputies President Lorenzo Fontana, with their discussions focusing on strengthening cooperation between the parliaments of Kenya and Italy.