President William Ruto is preparing for his first visit to the United States since Donald Trump began his second term, a journey that he says will focus on placing Kenya’s creative industry on the global stage.
The visit, scheduled to coincide with the United Nations General Assembly in New York, will see Ruto meet the Recording Academy, the organization behind the Grammy Awards.
At the center of these talks is the plan to establish world-class recording studios in Kenya and to lay the groundwork for an African edition of the Grammy Awards in Nairobi.
According to the president, the initiative is part of a wider vision to build a thriving creative economy that generates both jobs and revenue for young people. “This is about giving our artists the chance to compete at the highest level,” Ruto said.
His agenda in the United States will also include meetings with leaders of global technology companies such as Meta, Google, and YouTube. Among the key proposals is the integration of M-Pesa into Facebook’s payment system, alongside discussions on enabling Google ad payments through the mobile money platform.
These measures, Ruto argues, will make it easier for Kenyan creators to monetize their work and access international markets.
The president’s approach reflects a strategy that blends diplomacy, culture, and technology. It is a move designed not only to showcase Kenyan talent but also to secure partnerships that can transform the creative sector into a pillar of the economy.
For Ruto, the New York trip is more than just a diplomatic engagement; it is a statement of intent that Kenya is ready to remix its place in the global creative and digital economy.
