 The rest of us from the African continent, we've always been in the corner of problems and victimhood. We don't want to be in that corner anymore. We want to be at the table where we are all looking for solutions. The new Gandafi of Africa. Most people remember Muammar Gandafi as a dictator and his alleged involvement in the bombing of planes and buildings, as well as his support for terrorist organizations. But what they forget is that he was also an inspiring leader who defied the world's major powers, stood with marginalized nations, and propagated his visions of a united Africa, with one government, one currency, and one military to reverse Africa's asymmetrical position in the global order. In fact, after Kwamei Krumet died in 1972, Gandafi gained leadership of the Pan-Africanist movement and became the most prominent champion of African unification, eventually leading to the foundation of the African Union. However, after his death, no African leader has been more vocal on African unity than Kenyan President William Ruto. His statements since taking office in 2022 have sparked speculation about whether he is the next Gandafi and whether he intends to follow in his footsteps. In this video, we will take a look at some of the statements made by President Ruto since he assumed office. When the African Union was established in 2002 to replace the Organization of African Unity, its founders saw it as a step toward establishing a more united Africa. Without a doubt, the organization has succeeded to some extent in developing continent-wide economic and political coordinating structures and operations. However, as an organization, the African Union has not done much in terms of tackling African problems with African solutions, nor has it made much progress toward a united Africa. The blatant disunity of the EU member states on numerous fronts, including language, culture, and geographic location, has hampered the continent which has suffered the most from colonialism and Western imperialism. And since the deaths of Kwamei Krumet and Muammar Gaddafi, no African leader has risen up to champion the cause of the continent until Kenya's President William Ruto. Since he assumed office in 2022, President Ruto has distinguished himself through his speeches in several regional conferences as a champion for the African continent, fighting against alleged mistreatment of its leaders by developed countries and leading the countries coping with the excesses of their Western counterparts. According to Gilbert Kadiagala, a professor of international relations at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, Ruto's remarks at the various regional summits sound like previous maximalist pan-Africanists such as Ghanis Kwamei Krumet and Libbyist Gaddafi, who proposed the United States of Africa. Professor Gilbert's statements about President Ruto are accurate because, for example, on May 17, while speaking at the Pan-African Parliament Summit in South Africa, President Ruto made a passionate pitch for the continent's return to pan-Africanism and protested against the continent's mistreatment by foreign powers in a speech that received a standing ovation from leaders. In his speech, Ruto bemoaned the blatant weakening of the individual sovereignty of Africa's more than 50 states, citing summits between Africa, a collective, and an individual power such as the United States. The Kenyan president questioned why more than 50 African heads of state must travel to Washington to attend a U.S. Africa summit when they may appoint a Troika to represent them all and report back to them. Ruto also revealed that the invitation from the U.S. to attend the summit is signed off with threats of consequences for non-attendants. In other words, African leaders are required by Washington to drop any other engagement to fly out to America to meet with a sitting president like schoolboys and girls summoned by a headmaster. They are dined and wind in widely televised interactions that depict the power of the superpower in international relations. Worsy claims the presence of African leaders at these global conferences has been reduced to mere photo sessions in which more than 50 of them, dressed in suits and costumes, are lined up in a long queue towards a single microphone, where they are each given a minute and a half to speak. This treatment of African leaders, he added, is unacceptable and that all AU heads of state have decided that from now on, any engagement with partners must be an engagement of equals. This means that any foreign power that wishes to engage with Africa must interact in a way that allows us to successfully represent our people, perform our mandate, and express our challenges. He also stated that the African Union Reform Program must be prioritized, and that member states must develop functional continental governing mechanisms to support a worthy African Union. In yet another conference, the Moe Ibrahim Governance Weekend, held at the Kenya International Convention Center, President Rudo lamented how African leaders are sometimes treated like schoolchildren, citing a September 2022 incident in which African heads of state were transported in a bus to Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom for the late Queen Elizabeth, the Second's Federal Service. He said they were told to park their vehicles at a site in West London and board the bus but other leaders from developed countries, like the US President Joe Biden, used their official vehicles. He described the experience as demeaning to African leaders, and stated that he believes this generation of African leaders has the historic mandate to retire this unhelpful profile and articulate a more accurate and compelling portrait of Africa that is both factual and developmentally aspirational. During the same conference, President Ruso challenged the global banking sector to charge developing countries fair interest rates on loans, urging them to focus on Africa's underlying potential rather than viewing them as high-risk borrowers. According to him, developed countries enjoy interest rates as low as 0.5%, compared to more than 10% for developing countries, and the high interest rates have made it impossible for developing countries to finance significant development. He also stated that the current system has failed to respond to the needs of emerging economies and that it is raped against countries in the global south. We are asking for a win-win financial architecture that brings everyone on board, he added. At the Third Pan-African Parliamentarian Summit on Climate Policy and Equity in Madrid, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, President Ruto stated that it was time for reforms at the United Nations Security Council. He underlined that while the UN is an essential venue for transacting world affairs in diplomacy, peace, security, and trade, among other areas, Africa has remained significantly disadvantaged because the current structure of the UN was established over 80 years ago. He then called for the UN Security Council to be restructured from an exclusive club of five permanent members to a more representative global council that works for the interests of the entire world and Africa should have two permanent seats at the council. President Ruto, like his predecessor Gaddafi, has called for a single African currency to ease intra-African commerce. He said this during his first speech at the 22nd Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Summit for Heads of State held in Lusak, Zambia. Outlining the importance of regional integration, President Ruto emphasized the necessity to eliminate currency exchange problems in trade operations. Our people cannot trade without worrying about which currency to use, he explained. This, among other non-tariff barriers, is something we must urgently address so that our people can begin to trade together and integrate. In a speech to the Djibadi Parliament, President Ruto joined the growing chorus of countries calling for global de-dolarization, which is gaining traction as countries worldwide seek alternatives to the hegemony of the U.S. dollar, with China and Russia now trading in their own currencies. The president urged African nations to abandon the use of the dollar for intra-continental trade and instead utilize local currencies for buying and selling. He emphasized that the African Export-Import Bank, Afroxen Bank, has established a framework that allows traders on the African continent to conduct business in their various local currencies. He further stated that Kenya is embracing the Afroxen Bank payment system to ease trade and urged other African countries to take advantage of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System, PAPSS, created by Afroxen Bank. During his speech, he questioned the necessity of integrating U.S. dollars in commercial activity between the two countries, while also expressing Kenya's support for the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System, championed by Afroxen Bank. The Kenyan president underlined that the objective is not to fight the U.S. dollar, but rather to enhance the convenience of doing business. He then advised that purchases made in the United States be settled in dollars, while transactions with Djibouti be performed in local currencies. Certainly all of these speeches show that President Ruto has clearly portrayed himself as a champion for the African continent, and some analysts believe he has the potential to fill the void left by the late South African president Nelson Mandela if he places his cards correctly and avoids antagonizing key players on the global stage, as Gaddafi did. What do you think of President Ruto, and he do better than his predecessor? Do leave your comment down below, and don't forget to like, share, subscribe, and enable on the notifications button if you are new to our channel.