oluwatosin oyeniyi NEW YORK — Kenya is using the 81st United Nations General Assembly to push investment, technology, development financing and Africa’s role in global decision-making, as President William Ruto joins other African leaders seeking to translate the continent’s priorities into international partnerships.
Ruto arrived in New York on September 20 ahead of the UNGA high-level week, which begins on September 22. Kenya’s agenda includes investment in energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, agriculture, health and technology, alongside efforts to attract capital for African development.
The African Union is also intensifying its diplomatic engagement in New York, with Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf leading the continental body’s participation in discussions on development, peace and security, climate change and global cooperation.
Kenya puts investment and financing at the centre
Ruto’s UNGA programme is focused heavily on mobilising investment for Kenya and the wider African economy.
According to Kenya’s stated agenda, the president will engage governments, multilateral institutions and global companies on expanding trade and investment. He is also expected to promote an “Africa-financing-Africa” approach, arguing that greater use of the continent’s own savings and assets could help fund infrastructure and productive investment.
The approach comes as African governments continue to face high borrowing costs, debt pressures and infrastructure financing gaps.
Kenya is also using the gathering to promote major investment opportunities, including energy and industrial projects. Ruto is expected to co-chair discussions involving the Africa Finance Corporation and the Global Africa Business Initiative, including the proposed East Africa Refinery project in Lamu.
For Nairobi, the objective is to connect international capital with projects capable of expanding production, creating employment and opening new markets.
AI becomes a major African agenda
Artificial intelligence is another major focus.
Ruto is set to co-lead the AI Middle Powers Initiative with Finnish President Alexander Stubb. The initiative seeks to enable countries to pool computing resources, data and talent to strengthen their domestic AI capabilities.
Kenya is also expected to promote wider African investment in artificial intelligence, including the Africa Development Bank-backed AI 10 Billion Initiative, which aims to mobilise up to $10 billion by 2035.
The emphasis reflects a broader shift in the African technology debate. Rather than viewing AI solely as a tool to be adopted from elsewhere, governments are increasingly seeking investment in computing infrastructure, digital skills, data systems and local innovation.
That agenda also intersects with concerns about AI safety and governance. The UNGA is taking place as governments debate how to manage rapidly developing AI technologies and prevent their misuse while ensuring developing countries are not excluded from the benefits of the technology.
AU pushes stronger multilateral cooperation
The African Union’s presence at UNGA 81 comes against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions and conflicts affecting several parts of the continent.
The AU had announced that Mahmoud Ali Youssouf would lead a high-level delegation to the General Assembly, with the bloc focusing on climate change, sustainable development, peace and security and global health.
On September 21, Youssouf joined UN Secretary-General António Guterres, European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for a high-level AU-EU-UN meeting in New York.
The discussions focused on stronger multilateral cooperation, international law and collective action, with particular attention to peace and security, sustainable development, the Horn of Africa and Red Sea maritime security.
The meeting illustrates how the AU is seeking to work through international partnerships while maintaining African priorities at the centre of discussions on security and development.
Africa’s representation remains a central issue
Beyond individual investment projects, African leaders are also using UNGA to raise questions about the continent’s position in global decision-making.
Kenya has said it will advocate reforms that give Africa greater representation in international institutions. The issue has long been part of the African diplomatic agenda, particularly in discussions around reform of the UN Security Council and the international financial system.
For African governments, representation is closely connected to financing and development. Decisions made by global institutions on debt, trade, climate finance and technology can have direct consequences for African economies, while African countries remain comparatively underrepresented in some of the institutions making those decisions.
From commitments to implementation
The challenge for both Kenya and the AU will be converting high-level discussions into concrete financing, partnerships and institutional reforms.
Investment announcements can generate attention, but their development impact ultimately depends on whether projects secure financing, meet regulatory requirements and deliver jobs and productive capacity.
The same applies to Africa’s technology ambitions. Building a stronger digital economy will require reliable electricity, affordable connectivity, computing infrastructure, research capacity and large-scale investment in skills.
UNGA 81 therefore provides African governments with a platform to present the continent not only as a recipient of development finance, but as a source of investment opportunities, technology innovation and diplomatic initiatives.
As global leaders gather in New York, Kenya is placing investment and AI at the centre of its message, while the African Union is pressing for stronger cooperation on peace, development and global governance. The broader question is whether those priorities can translate into partnerships capable of producing measurable results beyond the UNGA meeting rooms.
