Africa-France Summit Opens in Nairobi as Ruto and Macron Push for “New Partnership”

GOOBJOOG NEWS|NAIROBI: The Africa-France Summit officially opened in Nairobi on Monday, bringing together more than 30 African heads of state, top business leaders, diplomats and investors for talks focused on trade, innovation, climate financing, artificial intelligence and security cooperation. The meeting marks the first time France has hosted such a summit in an English-speaking African country, a move widely seen as a strategic shift in Paris’ Africa policy.
Kenyan President William Ruto described the summit as an opportunity to redefine Africa-Europe relations through “mutual respect, investment and shared prosperity,” while French President Emmanuel Macron said France wanted to build a “partnership of equals” with African countries.
Speaking in Nairobi, Macron praised Africa’s growing diplomatic influence on the continent and globally, saying Kenya had become a key voice in international discussions on finance, climate and security. He noted that France deliberately chose Nairobi as host city because of Kenya’s increasing geopolitical importance and its role as a regional economic hub.
“The past seven years have been quite a journey,” Macron said, highlighting the deepening relationship between Kenya and France in sectors including infrastructure, renewable energy, digital innovation and transport.
Ruto, on his part, emphasized that Africa was no longer seeking aid-driven relations but partnerships based on investment, technology transfer and equitable financial systems. Kenyan officials are expected to use the summit to advocate for reforms in global lending and credit rating systems, arguing that African countries are unfairly classified as high-risk economies, leading to expensive borrowing costs.
Ahead of the summit, Kenya and France signed 11 bilateral agreements covering transport, logistics, artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, blue economy cooperation and urban mobility. Among the major projects announced was an €83 million financing package for the modernization of Nairobi’s commuter rail network.
The summit comes at a time when France is attempting to rebuild and reposition its influence in Africa following deteriorating relations with several Francophone countries in the Sahel region, where French troops have withdrawn amid growing anti-French sentiment. Analysts say Paris is now increasingly turning toward Anglophone powers such as Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa to forge new strategic partnerships.
Beyond diplomacy, the Nairobi gathering is also expected to focus heavily on youth employment, technology, climate action and private sector investment, with more than 2,000 companies and thousands of delegates attending.