Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, made history recently when he was invited to the G7 summit that was held in Taormina, Sicily, in Italy on the 26^th and 27^th of May 2017. It is history in that he is the first Kenyan President and the only African President this year to be invited to the esteemed summit. This article, however, is not about him. It is about something much bigger and more important, Africa. Africa had a voice at the G7. To put it into perspective, the G7 is made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These countries represent over 60% of the global net worth. Further estimates indicate that these nations account for 46% of the global Gross Domestic Product. That is how important this Summit is and even more important for a region to have an ambassador.

The focus of the summit was on environmental stability, security, the global economy, and foreign policy. It so happens that it came barely days after terror attacks in the city of Manchester and terror attacks in Kenya where eight officers lost their lives.

The President went on ahead to discuss the potential that Africa holds in terms of investment once free from terror. He further added that Africa is key when it comes to solving the problems facing the world right now, such as immigration.

“A freer, more prosperous Africa is a vital partner in solving some of the world’s most pressing problems: poverty, immigration, climate change, terrorism,” said President Kenyatta in Taormina, Italy. This one statement sums it all up.

There is no denying the momentous nature of this invite to President Kenyatta. However, one has to wonder whether the leaders heard his speech. This is considering that, despite Kenya being very strong economically in The East African Region, his government has been rife with plenty of problems including corruption, increased cost of living, and insecurity. No wonder several polls indicate that his closest rival, Raila Odinga, is gaining ground in some areas where he has dominated votes.

There is still time though for Kenyatta to make amends ahead of the August polls. The question remains whether he will, but it is a good time to be a Kenyan and African.