President Uhuru to join world leaders for G7 Summit in Italy

President Uhuru Kenyatta

President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to join other world leaders at the G7 Summit scheduled for next Thursday in Taormina, Sicily, in Italy. Uhuru is among four African heads of state and government invited to the 43rd, two-day event, alongside Nigerian Muhammadu Buhari (Nigeria) Haile Mariam Desalegn (Ethiopian Prime Minister) and Tunisia’s Beji Caid Essebesi.

The summit is an exclusive ‘club’ offering a forum for the world’s most powerful leaders and Uhuru is expected to address it, slightly over a week after he earned himself a seat at the just-ended Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China.

The G7 leaders comprise US President Donald Trump, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President-elect Emmanuel Macron, Italian PM Paolo Gentiloni, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the United Kingdom’s Teresa May and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe.

Also attending will be European Union President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

The summit is expected to discuss foreign policy, global threats and economy, and review economic co-ordination based on the resolution of the G20 conference.

“President Kenyatta has been invited to be part of the G7 Summit. This is a big honour for us as a country,” said Foreign Affair Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed.