Ruto Meets US Billionaires Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg

President William Ruto on Monday appealed to world leaders to gather resources to overcome obstacles in achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

Speaking during the UN General Assembly Dialogue alongside Slovenia President Nataša Pirc Musar, Ruto emphasized the importance of connecting sustainable development goals with global capital for climate-positive growth. At the meeting which included attendees like Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg, Ruto noted the difficulties Africa has faced implementing SDGs due to issues such as debt, inflation, climate shocks, and conflicts.

Ruto also met with COP28 President and UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber to discuss financial reforms, including debt restructuring and the strengthening of International Financial Institutions to empower nations in the global south to participate in climate action and development. The attendees of the meeting included the CEO of Crescent Enterprises Badr Jafar, the CEO of BlackRock Larry Fink, businessman Strive Masiyiwa from Zimbabwe and Dr. Mo Ibrahim.

Ruto has been a strong advocate for climate action and even hosted the inaugural African Climate Summit which raised trillions of shillings for climate action on the continent. Gates is the wealthy founder of Microsoft, while Bloomberg is a former New York City mayor and owner of Bloomberg L.P., a conglomerate spanning media, software, and financial knowledge.

Meanwhile, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua today addressed the 36th Conference of the International Scientific Council of the Trypanosomiasis Research and Control (ISCTRC) in Mombasa. Currently taking place with active participants from more than 38 African Union (AU) member states plagued with tsetse-related problems, this conference will continue for the entire week. The governing council under the AU has its headquarters stationed in Nairobi, specifically known as the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR).