politics
France Announces €14 Billion in Africa Investments at Nairobi Summit Co-Hosted With Kenya
The Africa Forward Summit 2026 concluded in Kenya with pledges of €14 billion in French investments and calls for a new model of partnership. Around 30 heads of state attended the event co-hosted by France and Kenya. French President Emmanuel Macron and Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot both described renewed ties with the continent.
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France announced €14 billion in investment pledges for Africa at the close of the Africa Forward Summit 2026, which drew around 30 heads of state and government along with several thousand business leaders. The summit, co-hosted by France and Kenya, took place in Nairobi on Monday, May 11 and Tuesday, May 12, 2026.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to FRANCE 24 at the conclusion of the gathering, calling for a new model of partnership with African nations that he described as a “partnership of equals”.
Macron gave an exclusive interview to France 24, RFI, and Le Monde from the summit. The conversation, conducted in partnership with RFI and TV5MONDE, offered him an opportunity to take stock of his work in Africa, which began in 2017 during his first term. France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told Le Monde that the Africa Forward Summit was a success.
Barrot highlighted renewed ties between Africa and France even as Paris has faced ruptures with Sahel countries and rising anti-French sentiment in French-speaking Africa in recent years. Barrot described Russia's contribution to Africa's development as zero.
He noted that trade and investment between France and Africa far surpasses Moscow's involvement on the continent, according to the Le Monde interview conducted after the event.
The French government has sought to demonstrate the strength of its political and economic ties with the continent through the summit. The gathering in Nairobi served as a platform to showcase those links following years of tension in parts of French-speaking Africa. Macron's reflections on his engagement since 2017 formed a central thread of the FRANCE 24 interview.
The French president used the platform to outline what he sees as the foundations for future cooperation based on equality rather than past models. Attendance at the two-day event reflected broad interest from both political and business circles. The combination of heads of state and several thousand business leaders produced the setting for the formal announcement of the €14 billion in French investment pledges.
