PRESIDENT WILLIAM RUTO CHALLENGE PRESIDENT MACRON. THE KIND OF LEADER AFRICANS NEED?
Kenyan President William Ruto has urged French President Emmanuel Macron to provide answers on a range of issues including climate change, debt relief and the need for a fairer global economic system. Speaking at the Global Financing Pact Summit in Paris in June 2023, Ruto advocated for a new global mechanism to tackle climate change, financed by a universal global carbon tax. He also criticized the lending policies of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, claiming that poverty and inequality in developing countries tend to get worse. Ruto also challenged Macron on debt relief. He said in a recent interview that Kenya "is not a country of beggars" and should not be forced to pay its debts at the expense of its people. He called for a new debt relief mechanism that would allow countries like Kenya to restructure their debt and free up resources for development. Ruto's challenge to Macron has drawn mixed reactions. Some praised