From Right-President William Ruto and French President Emmanuel Macron during the closing of Africa Forward Summit on May 12, 2026.[Jonah Onyango, Standard]
The recent “Africa Forward Summit” in Nairobi was marketed as the dawn of a “new model of partnership” between France and Africa. But for those watching closely, the summit was less about a leap forward and more about a stumbling backward into the paternalistic patterns of the past.
The visit by French President Emmanuel Macron and the hosting by President William Ruto didn’t just fail to live up to the hype; it was a flop that exposed the deep-seated tensions between African agency and Western entitlement.
Premium Article
Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week.
