The plane carrying President Kenyatta and the First Lady Margaret Kenyatta landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport shortly after 1:00 am.
At the Airport to receive the President were Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery and Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Samson Mwathethe, among other senior Government officials.
In his address to the summit, President Kenyatta asked the Group of Seven (G7) most industrialised countries in the world to enhance its collaboration with Africa to address global challenges including poverty, immigration, climate change and terrorism.
The President said Africa is a vital partner in solving the world’s most pressing challenges.
“This is the time to put Africa's aspirations at the heart of your plans. A freer, more prosperous Africa is a vital partner in solving some of the world's most pressing problems: poverty, immigration, climate change, terrorism,” President Kenyatta told the G7.
He pointed out that Africa’s transformation is driven by innovation in which Kenya is a celebrated pioneer in the continent, especially in ICT.
“That's why we have strengthened connectivity through the Smart Africa initiative, putting ICT at the centre of our development agenda. That's why the continent is developing an ICT policy and infrastructure to support one seamless digital market, to serve a billion people,” President Kenyatta said.
The President also held talks with G7 leaders, focusing on forging a closer cooperation in trade, investment, security, technology-sharing and development.
The President held separate meetings on the margins of the G7 Summit in Taormina, Italy, with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, host Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and newly elected President Emmanuel Macron of France.
During his meeting with President Kenyatta, Japanese Prime Minister Abe thanked Kenya for hosting a successful TICAD conference in 2016.
Prime Minister Abe informed President Kenyatta of Japan’s intention to support South Sudan through its official development aid. He expressed a desire to continue working with Kenya at the multilateral level including on the threat from North Korea.
