Details of President William Ruto's Visit to Ethiopia

President William Ruto has departed Nairobi on Sunday, September 7, for Ethiopia on an official visit.

The president is gracing the second Africa Climate Summit bringing together African heads of state to deliberated on the continent's climate wellness.

This is the second summit after the inaugural one in Nairobi in September 2023.

The leaders would be meeting in Addis Ababa to fast-track the agenda adopted in the 2023 Nairobi Declaration which spotlighted the urgency in the continent's climate finance to tackle drastic climate change and natural solutions to the climate challenges.

A dispatch from State House Nairobi indicated that during the Addis Ababa summit, the Kenyan president will launch a report dubbed “From Nairobi to Addis Ababa: Africa’s Journey of Climate Action and Partnership.”

"The report reviews progress since the first Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, assesses current realities, and maps future pathways," it read.

The president will also grace the signing ceremony of the Cooperation Framework for the Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative (AGII), bringing together African governments, financiers, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, and private sector actors in a multi-sectoral approach to combat climate change.

Outside the climate summit, the president is slated to grace and contribute a high-levek business forum to interrogate Africa's debt status and partnerships with the Carribean Community.

"Beyond the summit, he will address the Africa-CARICOM (Caribbean Community) Summit on reparatory justice, debt sustainability, and transcontinental cooperation, alongside bilateral meetings to strengthen ties, expand trade, and advance joint action on global challenges," the State House dispatch read on.

Elsewhere, Ruto will preside over the inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

The construction of the massive hydroelectric powerplant was completed this year on the Blue Nile River after it started in 2011.

The $5 billion project is regarded as Africa’s largest hydroelectric power plant, with Kenya eyeing to benefit from it.

"For Kenya, the Ethiopia-Kenya power interconnector already delivers clean, affordable electricity that strengthens energy security, stabilises supply during droughts, and supports industrial growth. Together with the Kenya-Tanzania interconnector, these regional links enhance power trade, improve grid stability, and advance East Africa’s integration through shared renewable energy," the State House said.

The trip comes a fortnight after the president returned from Tokyo, Japan.

The head of state had departed Nairobi on August 18 to attend the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) alongside other African leaders.

On the sidelines of the summit, the president met with high-level representatives of renowned brands headquarted in Japan and finance corporations with whom he made agreements on investment benefits for Kenya.

On Friday, August 22, Ruto gave a keynote address at TICAD 9 plenary, where he called for more concerted efforts to grow the economies in Africa to reduce the poverty rates, create more jobs and enhance health and educational services.