{"id":140446,"date":"2026-05-09T14:02:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T14:02:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/africa-forward-summit-to-focus-on-jobs-investment-and-partnerships\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T14:02:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T14:02:42","slug":"africa-forward-summit-to-focus-on-jobs-investment-and-partnerships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/africa-forward-summit-to-focus-on-jobs-investment-and-partnerships\/","title":{"rendered":"Africa Forward Summit to focus on jobs, investment and partnerships"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has said the upcoming Africa Forward Summit 2026 will focus on unlocking investments, creating jobs and positioning Africa as a driver of global economic transformation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking during the official handover of the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) venue ahead of the summit, Mudavadi said Kenya expects the gathering to deliver practical outcomes that directly benefit African citizens.<\/p>\n

The Africa Forward Summit will be held in Nairobi on May 11 and 12 and is expected to attract more than 30 Heads of State and Government, over 4,000 delegates, business executives, investors, innovators and development partners from Africa, France and across the world.<\/p>\n

Mudavadi said the summit would prioritise investment, enterprise and technology as key pillars for Africa\u2019s future growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are determined to deliver visible, life-changing outcomes \u2014 new jobs, thriving industries, empowered African enterprises, improved livelihoods, and a brighter future for our citizens,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He noted that while governments play a role in creating enabling environments, the private sector would be central in driving sustainable economic transformation across the continent.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernments can provide policy direction and enabling environments, but sustainable transformation at scale will be driven by investment, enterprise, innovation, technology and entrepreneurship,\u201d Mudavadi stated.<\/p>\n

A major Business Forum has been lined up as part of the summit and is expected to bring together approximately 1,500 chief executives, investors, entrepreneurs and innovators from Africa and France.<\/p>\n

According to Mudavadi, the forum is expected to catalyse investment pipelines, commercial partnerships, financing opportunities and technology transfer in various sectors. The summit is being co-hosted by Kenya and France under the leadership of President William Ruto and French President Emmanuel Macron.<\/p>\n

Mudavadi described the event as a milestone for the continent, noting that it would be the first summit of its kind to be hosted in Anglophone Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will be the first summit of its kind to be hosted in Anglophone Africa \u2014 a significant milestone that reflects the broadening and deepening of Africa\u2013France engagement across the continent,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Prime Cabinet Secretary said leaders attending the summit would discuss key issues shaping Africa\u2019s future, including reform of the international financial system, energy transition, green industrialisation, the blue economy, food security, artificial intelligence, digital technologies, resilient health systems, and peace and security.<\/p>\n

He added that the summit comes at a critical time when African countries are seeking stronger partnerships capable of addressing emerging global economic and geopolitical challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Kenya, this is not simply another summit. The Africa Forward Summit represents a defining statement about where Africa is headed, how Africa intends to engage the world, and the kind of partnerships that must shape the future of global cooperation,\u201d Mudavadi said.<\/p>\n

He said Kenya was proud to host the summit because of its growing reputation as a diplomatic, financial and innovation hub on the continent.<\/p>\n

\u201cNairobi has increasingly emerged as one of Africa\u2019s leading diplomatic, financial, innovation and multilateral capitals,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mudavadi noted that Nairobi continues to play a strategic role in global conversations on peace diplomacy, climate action, entrepreneurship, regional cooperation and development finance.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s handing over sets pace for Monday ans Tuesday. The venue, KICC is symbolic since it sits between the symbol of Justice which is the Judiciary on its right and Parliament as the legislative arm and symbol of democracy which is on the left. This symbolises that Kenya is a country that respects the rule of law and stands on the tenets of democratic leadership.\u201d Mudavadi explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cInfront of KICC is City Hall, the headquarters of of the Capital City Nairobi and along Harambee avenue that is behind KICC are strategic offices for the executive. So, when the great minds will convene at KICC good things will emerge not only for Kenya but for Africa.\u201d The Prime CS added.<\/p>\n

He thanked France, development institutions, private sector players and participating countries for supporting Kenya\u2019s hosting of the summit.<\/p>\n

Mudavadi also called on journalists to provide in-depth coverage of the summit, saying the media had a responsibility to shape international understanding of Africa\u2019s development agenda.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are not merely covering an event. You are helping shape global understanding of what this moment represents for Africa and for the future of international partnerships,\u201d he told journalists.<\/p>\n

The Prime Cabinet Secretary said Kenya expected the summit to generate stronger partnerships, unlock opportunities for young people and strengthen African industries to compete globally.<\/p>\n

Among the anticipated outcomes, he cited increased investments, stronger trust between nations and future-focused collaborations capable of helping Africa seize opportunities in a rapidly changing world.<\/p>\n

In his closing remarks, Mudavadi urged African countries to embrace confidence and ambition in shaping the continent\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet this Summit ignite a new spirit of African confidence and global partnership,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet it mark the beginning of an era where Africa does not merely participate in the future \u2014 but leads it with vision, innovation and determination.\u201d<\/p>\n

Present were Cabinet Secretary for tourism and wildlife Rebecca Miano, Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs Korir Sing\u2019oei, French Ambassador to Kenya Arnaud Suquet and Chief Executive Officer for KICC, James Mwaura among other diplomats and senior government officials.<\/p>\n

The post Africa Forward Summit to focus on jobs, investment and partnerships<\/a> appeared first on KBC Digital<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has said the upcoming Africa Forward Summit 2026 will focus on unlocking investments, creating jobs and positioning Africa as a driver of global economic transformation. Speaking during the official handover of the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) venue ahead of the summit, Mudavadi […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-140446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140446\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}