President William Ruto called on Russia to invest in African manufacturing at the third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow on Thursday, October 29.
He said Africa cannot continue to be a supplier of raw materials and a consumer of finished products. “We now must become a continent that manufactures, innovates, adds value and competes in the global economy,” he said, urging a partnership focused on manufacturing, agricultural production, energy infrastructure and skills development.
Ruto highlighted Kenya’s proposed KSh5.2 trillion infrastructure financing plan over the next decade and urged Russian investors to support it.
At a business roundtable in Moscow on Wednesday, he cited bilateral trade of KSh49.4 billion in 2025, with Kenyan exports to Russia worth KSh6.76 billion against imports of KSh42.9 billion, and estimated Russian investment in Kenya at KSh2.86 billion.
He argued the trade imbalance could be addressed by attracting investors to set up production facilities locally rather than relying on raw material exports and finished-goods imports.
Ruto said industrialisation would expand production, create jobs and open new markets for Russian businesses. “A more industrialised, productive and prosperous Africa is not a threat to anyone. It is an opportunity for the entire world,” he noted.
The African Development Bank’s Africa Industrialisation Index 2025, released in May 2026, showed the continent contributed less than 2 per cent of global manufacturing output and 1.4 per cent of global manufacturing exports, with manufacturing value added rising from KSh37.05 trillion in 2020 to KSh45.63 trillion in 2025.
He invited Russian investment in opportunities created by the African Continental Free Trade Area, noting that a larger integrated market could support competitive industries and regional supply chains.
Agriculture was singled out for cooperation, with Ruto calling for affordable fertilisers, local fertiliser production, mechanisation, irrigation technology and research to reduce dependence on imports and improve food security.
Energy infrastructure, engineering, mineral processing and manufacturing were also identified as sectors where Russian expertise and capital could aid industrial development.
Ruto urged increased international funding for climate change response, citing Kenya’s expansion of geothermal energy, green manufacturing and climate-resilient infrastructure, and called for investment in adaptation, early-warning systems and drought-resilient agriculture ahead of COP31. “Africa must not be made to choose between protecting the planet and lifting its people out of poverty. We must achieve both,” he said.
He called for reforms to the international financial system, advocating affordable long-term financing, mobilisation of capital and the establishment of the African Credit Rating Agency to improve debt sustainability and development financing.
Linking financial reforms to broader representation, Ruto renewed Africa’s demand for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council, stating “The international order must reflect the world as it is today, not the world as it was in 1945.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia-Africa trade exceeded KSh3.51 trillion in 2025, and Ruto urged both sides to translate commitments into projects under the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan for 2027-2029, measuring success by investments delivered, industries established and research opportunities created.
He concluded by urging the summit to advance a partnership founded on sovereign equality, productive investment, technological cooperation and shared prosperity. “Let this Summit advance a Russia-Africa partnership founded on sovereign equality, productive investment, technological cooperation and shared prosperity,” he said.
