NAIROBI, Kenya May 9 – At least 30 heads of state and government were expected in Nairobi, including France’s Emmanuel Macron, scheduled for May 11 to May 12 in Nairobi.
Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi says President William Ruto will co-host the summit, plans to focus on advancing talks on making the global financial system fairer to heavily indebted African countries. France has pledged to support this campaign.
The day of 11 May, titled ‘Inspire & Connect,’ will be structured around a business forum co-organized by Proparco, Bpifrance, and Business France, which will highlight the depth of Africa-France economic partnerships and showcase projects and initiatives led by African and French private sectors, including support for African entrepreneurship, with the Choose Africa initiative as a key example.
During this day, several key moments, attended by Presidents Macron and Ruto, will focus on youth and on high-performing, job-creating, and unifying sectors such as sport and cultural and creative industries.
AFD Group will also organize a segment dedicated to sport: a call to action during a high-level session, along with sports demonstrations to illustrate the role of sport as a driver of opportunity for future generations.
The day of 12 May will be the official summit, bringing together heads of state and government, international financial institutions, and CEOs of major African and French companies. AFD Group will take part, particularly in discussions on development finance and investments in strategic sectors for the continent’s industrialization.
The summit builds on previous international gatherings, including the 2021 Paris Summit on the Financing of African Economies, the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, the 2023 Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, and the African Union–European Union summit in Luanda in November 2025.
The Africa Forward summit marks a major milestone in relations between France and the African continent, nearly ten years after the French president’s speech in Ouagadougou. It is the first summit of its kind to be hosted and co-chaired with an English-speaking country.