South African President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted on Friday the importance of peace, investment and equitable partnerships in addressing global challenges during a finance summit attended by world leaders in Paris. Ramaphosa also underscored the challenges faced by African nations in accessing vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Advocating for open access to markets, Ramaphosa said that “Africa should never be seen as a continent that needs generosity, we want to be treated as equals.”At the summit, wealthy nations finalized an overdue $100-billion climate finance pledge to developing countries and created a fund for biodiversity and the protection of forests.