Macron Announces $27 Billion Investment Package at Africa Forward Summit in Kenya

More than 30 African leaders met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Kenya for the two-day Africa Forward Summit co-hosted by France and Kenya, the first such event in an English-speaking African country. Macron announced 23 billion euros ($27 billion) in investments targeting energy transition, agriculture and artificial intelligence, with 14 billion euros from French private and public funds and 9 billion euros from African sources.

The investments are projected to generate 250,000 jobs in France and across Africa.

Macron described the relationship as a "partnership of equals" and told heads of state and business executives that both sides should invest in each other's markets. "We are not simply here to come and invest on the African continent alongside you – we need great African business leaders to come and invest in France," he said.

The summit occurs as France completes military withdrawals from several West African nations. About 800 French soldiers arrived in Kenya aboard a navy ship a month before the summit. Business leaders in attendance included Africa's richest man and executives from major French firms active in energy and shipping.

Ahead of the summit, the French parliament passed a law to accelerate the return of African cultural artefacts looted during the colonial period.

In an interview before the event, Macron said colonialism could no longer be blamed for all of Africa's challenges and called on African leaders to improve governance in the seven decades since independence. " The French president views Africa as a single strategic space rather than separate spheres of influence.