French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday began a visit to Kenya ahead of the Africa Forward Summit, where France is seeking to redefine its relationship with the continent through what Paris describes as a partnership of equals.
The summit, being held for the first time in an Anglophone African country, comes as France attempts to rebuild influence across Africa following the withdrawal of French troops from several West African nations last year.
For decades after the independence of its former colonies, France maintained strong economic, political and military influence in Africa under a policy widely referred to as Françafrique. The policy drew criticism from African leaders and opposition figures, who accused Paris of adopting a heavy-handed and demeaning posture towards the continent.
Macron’s host, Kenyan President William Ruto, said both leaders expect the summit to mark a major shift in relations.
Macron acknowledged changing political realities across Africa, saying France can “disagree” with West African governments but “never disagrees with the people”.
The two-day summit, which begins on Monday, is expected to attract 30 heads of state, with 10 leaders already arriving in Nairobi.
However, the summit has also drawn criticism within Kenya. Opposition leader Kalonzo Musyoka questioned the choice of Kenya as host, arguing that democracy and human rights remain under pressure in the country ahead of the 2027 general election.
“There will be an air of pretence that we are a cohesive nation,” Musyoka said. “We know that is far from the truth.”
Ruto defended Kenya’s foreign policy direction on Sunday, saying Nairobi was seeking broad global partnerships and was “neither looking East nor West” but “looking forward”.
France and Kenya also signed 11 agreements covering sectors including transport, agriculture and plans for a nuclear energy plant.
Macron said the investments were designed to strengthen “human capital”, in line with the summit’s focus on innovation and Africa’s rapidly growing youth population.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
