When 32 heads of state and government gather at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre today, they will have done so many times elsewhere. Yet today, under the Africa Forward Summit, Kenya says the conference it is co-hosting with France will change the game.
This meeting, colloquially known as the France–Africa Summit, has traditionally been held in French-speaking countries. Kenya becomes the first Anglophone country to host it. Officials in Nairobi say they have spent most of the preparatory months ensuring each participating country comes to the table not with a begging bowl, but with clarity on what Africa needs for its future.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Kenya's President William Ruto address a joint press conference, in Nairobi on May 10, 2026.
Photo credit: Monicah Mwangi | Reuters
“From my years in diplomacy, I understand that moments that truly shape the future are rare. Some summits simply convene conversations, others redefine direction,” said Musalia Mudavadi , Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary, who is also the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs.
“The Africa Forward Summit carries the potential to do both. For months, we have worked to ensure Africa arrives not as an observer, but as a co-architect of the agenda, shaping the priorities, themes and direction of engagement,” he explained.
According to the itinerary, some 50 countries are sending representatives, at least 30 of them heads of state or government. They include French-speaking countries such as Senegal, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon and Chad. They also include Anglophone countries such as Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Lesotho, Zambia and Liberia. In between are Egypt, Tunisia, Seychelles, Mauritius and Mozambique.
President William Ruto and French President Emmanuel Macron at State House Nairobi during an official state visit.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation
For Kenya, Mr Mudavadi said, the presence of a diverse group of countries in Nairobi represents both the power of Nairobi to convene and one of the successes of Kenya’s push to strengthen multilateralism, a pet subject for President William Ruto .
In September 2024, France approached Kenya to jointly host the first Africa–France Summit outside France. President William Ruto quickly agreed, seeing an opportunity to be closer to France and diversify partnerships. Still, critics of France saw it as Paris’ way to dodge its reputational damage in other parts of Africa where it had stayed for decades.
French President Emmanuel Macron speak during a joint press conference at State House in Nairobi.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation
Last evening, French President Emmanuel Macron touched down in Kenya for the second time. He and President Ruto will co-host the summit, which has seven themes: green industrialisation and energy, reform of global financial architecture, peace and security, blue economy, agriculture and food systems, artificial intelligence and digital transformation.
The high-level gathering, themed Africa–France Partnership for Innovation and Growth, will draw more than 4,000 delegates, including global financiers, business leaders and civil society groups.
France may see the summit as an opportunity to mend its image on the continent. In April, Kenya approved, with reservations, a bilateral agreement with France for defence cooperation, which could see Paris establish a military training camp on Kenyan soil. The logic for it is different, however: France wants to boost security for its overseas territories in the Indian Ocean as well as collaborate on maritime security, rather than impose its way on locals.
Arnaud Suquet, the French ambassador to Kenya and Somalia, said Paris has “taken responsibility for past mistakes”. He was referring to murmurs surrounding France’s role in governance problems affecting some African countries, including frequent coups.
President William Ruto welcomes Sierra Leone President counterpart Julius Maada Bio to State House, Nairobi, for the Africa Forward Summit on May 10, 2026.
Photo credit: PCS
“It is true that we have a past, but over a couple of years, especially under the leadership of the current president (Macron), we have made bold steps in looking into our past objectively,” he told Fixing the Nation show on Nation FM last Friday.
“We are totally open to criticism, but we want to open a new partnership that is mutually beneficial. An Africa that prospers is in the interest of France,” the diplomat argued.
President William Ruto and French President Emmanuel Macron speak during a joint press conference at State House in Nairobi.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation
The conference has attracted significant political connotation. Yesterday, more than 100 civil society organisations from across Africa gathered in Nairobi for the Social Innovation Pavilion Summit, with discussions on democracy, governance, human rights, regional security and artificial intelligence dominating the agenda, ahead of the Africa Forward Summit.
During the discussions, the groups revealed that they had identified 60 areas of focus, which will be presented to the heads of state.
President William Ruto, Sierra Leone President Julius Maada (2nd right), Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua (left) and Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Roselinda Soipan Tuiya (right) at KICC, Nairobi on September 4, 2023, during the Africa Climate Summit 2023.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
The recommendations include championing good governance, using African minerals for community autonomy and security, inclusive governance, maternal and childhood health, reforming institutions, building endogenous democratic models and digital technologies, ensuring material security and the rule of law, and addressing gender, democracy and the transformation of power relations, among other issues.
According to the civil rights groups, African countries will head in the right direction in terms of development if the leaders address the issues handed over to them.
