When France and Kenya’s foreign ministers inaugurate the “Africa Forward Summit: Africa-France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth” at the University of Nairobi on May 11, the goal is to forge common ground and announce a fresh direction in relations between Paris and parts of Africa.
The two-day meeting in Kenya marks the first time France has hosted this type of summit in an English-speaking African country outside its traditional Francophone network. Analysts say the event signals President Emmanuel Macron’s effort to move away from France’s recent focus on West Africa and to cultivate partnerships in anglophone and fast-growing African markets.
Macron and Kenyan President William Ruto will co-chair the summit, which is expected to concentrate on security cooperation, increased economic investment, and accelerating green-energy projects. Ruto has also signaled that reforming the global financial architecture to be fairer to heavily indebted African states will be on the agenda — a campaign France has pledged to support. Organizers expect roughly 30 heads of state and government, alongside international delegations.
Observers say the choice of Nairobi is strategic. “France has lost a lot of prestige and influence in Francophone countries, notably in the Sahel,” said Ulf Laessing, who leads the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s Sahel program in Mali. He and others argue Paris is trying to offset setbacks in West Africa by expanding ties with anglophone countries such as South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria in order to reassert itself as a key partner on the continent.
The erosion of France’s standing in parts of West Africa stems from years of mounting anti-French sentiment and political ruptures. Since 2022 and 2023, large demonstrations in the Sahel have accused France of neocolonial interference. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have ended military cooperation with Paris and pressed for the withdrawal of French troops. New military governments in the region have used populist anti-French sentiment to emphasize their autonomy.
The withdrawal of French forces — including the handover in 2022 of the anti-jihadist operation Barkhane to Malian authorities — and debates over institutions such as the CFA franc have fuelled popular grievances. West African states began negotiating currency reforms as early as 2020 with Paris’s approval, but the process of replacing the CFA has proven complex and slow.
Against this backdrop, the Nairobi summit offers France an opportunity to spotlight a recalibrated approach focused less on security-centric partnerships and more on diversified economic ties. “Following its exit from the Sahel, France appears to be pivoting toward economically driven relationships in rapidly developing regions like East Africa,” said Yves Ekoué Amaïzo, director of the Afrocentricity Think Tank.
Amaïzo and other analysts say France is emphasizing long-term private-sector-led projects in areas such as infrastructure, renewable energy, digital technology and logistics, rather than relying primarily on military cooperation. East Africa’s growing markets and youthful populations make the region attractive for investment in green energy — a key theme of the summit — and other sectors with sustainable returns.
But Paris faces stiff competition. China, India, the Gulf states (including the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia) and other actors are already active in financing and building projects across East Africa. Still, France already has an established economic presence in Kenya: the French ambassador notes France is the country’s fifth-largest foreign direct investor, supporting around 46,000 jobs, and bilateral trade is growing, estimated by Kenya’s Trade Ministry at roughly $300 million.
Kenya exports fruits, tea, coffee, flowers and spices to France and imports pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, chemicals and machinery. For Nairobi, hosting the summit aligns with President Ruto’s ambition to position Kenya as an influential regional and global actor. “Every agenda item, every conversation and every commitment is aimed at one thing: an Africa that is at the forefront of global affairs, shaping its own destiny,” Ruto said in Kenyan media.
Experts note additional strategic advantages for France in East Africa. New defense and investment agreements with countries such as Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania strengthen these states’ roles as hubs linking Europe, the Indian Ocean and the wider continent. Kenya’s position within the East African Community — which includes the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi, where French remains widely used — also offers Paris potential access to francophone markets through anglophone partners.
Kenyan economist James Shikwati said France’s decision to stage the summit in Nairobi was predictable: Kenya’s diplomatic orientation makes it a useful entry point for France to re-engage with anglophone Africa, where French influence is less contested than in parts of the Sahel.
More broadly, analysts argue that global tensions and crises — from conflicts in the Middle East to the war in Ukraine — are prompting established powers to reassess and diversify their international economic strategies. For France, that means pursuing new partnerships in emerging economies that want to deepen their global roles.
The Africa Forward Summit will therefore be watched as an early test of whether France can translate a public pivot into concrete, mutually beneficial partnerships across East Africa, while competing with other global players vying for influence and investment opportunities on the continent.