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Participants attending the Africa Forward 2026 Summit at KICC, Nairobi [Courtesy]
The two-day Africa Forward Summit closed in Nairobi with two irreconcilable verdicts. Inside the KICC, a communiqué spoke of co-investment, partnership of equals, and €23 billion in pledges to reshape Africa’s economic trajectory. Outside, on the pavement, the air carried a different message: tear gas and chants of “Hands off Africa!”
Co-hosted by President William Ruto and President Emmanuel Macron, the inaugural summit marked a deliberate pivot in France-Africa relations. The language was new, out went paternalistic aid, in came investment-led partnership.
For Paris, it is a recalibration after losing ground in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. By choosing Nairobi, France signalled a doctrine of working through stable Anglophone economies to rebuild influence. Macron and Ruto framed the gathering as a turning point, one that could position Africa as a more equal player on the global stage. The numbers gave that claim weight.
