Kenya and France have rallied African leaders for the
first-ever France-Africa Summit to be held on African soil, scheduled for May
11-13 in Nairobi.
The two countries’ top diplomats on Thursday hosted the
Africa Forward 2026 High-Level Breakfast Meeting on the margins of the 39th AU
Summit in Addis Ababa, where they briefed participants on the objectives of the
meeting.
The Addis meeting is the latest in a series of high-level
planning meetings for the summit, which has been dubbed a platform to “renew
Africa-Europe cooperation”.
Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi on Thursday said Kenya
and France are strengthening a forward-looking partnership focused on unlocking
opportunity for Africa’s future.
“The meeting provided an important platform to engage AU
delegates on the summit’s vision, showcasing Africa’s innovation and talent,
driving co-investment and building strategic partnerships,” he said.
This, he noted, will expand opportunities for Kenyan youth
and entrepreneurs.
Mudavadi also met African Union Commission chairperson
Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, who reaffirmed the Commission’s support for the Summit
and alignment of outcomes with Agenda 2063.
In bilateral talks with the foreign ministers of Ethiopia,
The Gambia and Algeria, Mudavadi said he used the opportunity to encourage
their participation in the summit.
He noted that the meeting will position Kenya as a convening
hub for global dialogue, investment and strategic cooperation.
Foreign Affairs PS Korir Sing’oei said the conference will
advance solutions on green industrialisation, energy transition, health, AI,
agriculture and financial reform.
“We welcomed contributions and proposals from participants,
underscoring our commitment to an inclusive and mutually beneficial summit for
all African countries,” he said.
“Kenya reaffirmed its dedication to strengthening Africa’s
global partnerships for innovation, growth and sustainable development, and
looks forward to strong continental participation to advance Africa’s
development and global engagement.”
Last month, Mudavadi and French Minister Delegate for
Francophonie and International Partnerships Eléonore Caroit met African
ambassadors in Paris to brief them on the summit.
Caroit said the agenda will include reform of the
international financial architecture, economic issues in the fields of the
environment, new technologies and health, as well as sports, youth and culture.
By co-hosting the summit, Kenya is positioning itself as
both a continental convener and a broker of a new kind of Africa-Europe
conversation.
This comes at a time Africa is navigating debt stress,
climate vulnerability, food insecurity and pressure to create jobs for a
fast-growing young population.
On the other hand, European countries are rethinking their
engagement with Africa amid geopolitical competition, supply chain concerns,
migration debates and the global push for green energy transitions.
Visiting French Minister Caroit on Friday said the summit
will help in establishing areas of interest for both sides in creating
investment, jobs and other opportunities for balanced partnerships.
The summit will have six interconnected themes: green
industrialisation, energy transition, health systems, artificial intelligence,
agriculture and reform of global finance.
Each reflects an area where Africa is seeking accelerated
transformation and where France, and by extension Europe, has technical,
financial or political leverage.
