This new type of summit "illustrates the desire to diversify its alliances, in light of the recent diplomatic crises in the Sahel, by forging closer ties with East African economies," the Élysée press team said.
The event will bring together Presidents Emmanuel Macron and William Ruto, some thirty heads of state, as well as business leaders and investors from both continents, in Nairobi on 11 and 12 May, 2026.
The novelty is to bring in civil society and investors, and not to hold only high level political discussions, Pascal Confavreux, spokesperson for the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, told me on Wednesday (30 April).
"It's a hybrid summit, with a politics and security side, where heads of states will meet, but also an open forum."
The dual, complex organisation, led by both Kenya and France, will offer events where leaders of the private sector are invited, but also young people, artists and athletes.
A packed programme over two different days
Africa Forward will spotlight artificial intelligence and digital transformation ecosystems. Other key areas include health sector investments, local manufacturing of essential commodities, creative and cultural industries, as economic drivers and sports as an emerging frontier for investment and job creation. The energy transition, infrastructure development, regional connectivity systems, agriculture and food systems transformation will also be discussed.
The head of states summit on 11 May will see a series of high-impact engagements and panels take place, designed to drive both policy and people-to-people connections, most of them being held at the University of Nairobi.
The second day, scheduled for 12 May, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, will offer several highlights focusing on youth and on sectors of excellence, job creators and unifiers such as sport or cultural and creative industries. These events will be largely devoted to development financing issues and global challenges.
Overall, between 1,500 and 2,000 African and French leaders and decision-makers are expected, invited to participate in high-level discussions on high-potential sectors (energy, agribusiness, tech and AI, etc.) and to generate business opportunities.
"For President Macron, this summit embodies a new start," Confavreux told me. After a difficult period, where there were no France-Africa summits for several years, during Covid notably, we changed these old summit formulad, only between heads of states. Now, we want them to also be between peoples, and not only to address security issues."
A new formula for France
The President wants to show that France has shed its own past that has been analysed.
"He has already initiated reforms," Confavreux added, "such as the restitution of looted artworks and the reform of the CFA franc. He does not see himself as the inheritor of a negative past, but wants to embody a new generation with many shared interests, particularly concerning youth, culture, and the diaspora."
Confevreux points out that 7 million French people are connected to Africa in one way or another, from people of African descent to those married to Africans, or those born on the continent.
President Macron also reiterated his support for Africa to get two seats at the UN Security Council, and to reform the Bretton Woods institutions (the International Moneytary Fund and the World Bank) in favour of the continent.
The Élysée also stated that some conclusions from the Africa Forward summit will inform the preparation for the G7 summit, which France will host in Evian from 15 to 17 June.
For Roland Marchal, senior research fellow at Sciences Po Paris covering Africa, the importance of the event will have to be seen if the promises materialises though, especially in terms of investment and climate justice.
"We shouldn't make this summit as a kind of decision making moment. Global issues will be mentioned, discussed and reminded to the international arena. And this is important as such, especially at the moment when environmental issues are sidelined by new rhetorics by Donald Trump, on international conflicts such as what we witnessed in Gaza or Ukraine, and of course against Iran. Therefore, the simple fact that the conference pay attention on these issues is positive in itself," Marchal told me.
"But Macron may rhetorically commit some money for new climate climate initiative, yet, of course, this will be heard with some skepticism as, African rulers know very well that France is facing its own internal issues."
Marchal adds that William Ruto, the Kenyan president, has been a brilliant advocate of new environmental policies, and that's one of the reasons Kenya was selected as the location for this Africa - France summit, adding credibility to Macron's promises.
An opportunity for Kenya too
For Kenyan authorities, the Africa Forward Summit 2026 is an occasion to showcase as one of the largest Africa–Europe investment convenings in recent years.
Speaking during a press event, the Principal Secretary of State Department for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Korir Sing’Oei, emphasised the need to re-frame the Africa–France relationship in place of old stereotypes and barriers to progress that can limit innovation, constrain partnerships, and ultimately slow down development.
“France is looking for a new relationship with Africa, one that is grounded in mutual respect, shared opportunity, and practical outcomes. We must consciously move away from pre-written narratives that have historically defined this relationship. Africa Forward Summit is about breaking these barriers and focusing on solutions,” said Sing’Oei at a press briefing on 23 April.
France currently ranks as Kenya’s fourth largest foreign direct investment partner as well as the leading bilateral partner in Kenya’s energy sector.
Arnaud Suquet, Ambassador of France to Kenya, Somalia, highlighted France’s sustained commitment to Africa and Kenya.
“Over the past decade, French investments in Kenya have grown significantly, particularly in energy, infrastructure, and services,” said Suquet. "More than 140 French enterprises operate in Kenya. In the past decade, France has invested an estimated €1.8 billion in Kenya in sectors of employability and sustainability for a better future.
According to him, global convergence around key issues such as climate action, digital transformation, and sustainable development are constantly creating new opportunities for deeper Africa–France collaboration.
High expectations in Africa
In the rest of Africa, many voices have already raised interest, especially in Nigeria, where high level representatives are getting ready to travel to Nairobi.
"It's always good to have conferences move around and test what the audience wants," senior infrastructure investment expert Bowale Odumade, based between Lagos and Washington DC, told me.
With experience delivering over $10 billion in climate-resilient infrastructure projects across Africa, having worked in the USA, Nigeria, South Africa, Mauritania, Odumade thinks there are several plausible locations for these events, Nairobi being one of the obvious ones.
"It's a location that is a central hub for transport and logistics," she added. "It has a booming financial industry as well as a technology startup environment. And recently, the government has really started to implement quite a few initiatives relevant to this sort of summit in terms of capitalising private sector investments, with more sort of investments within the various key sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure, and really also harnessing the human capital, resources that Africa has significant a footprint in."
But for others, expectations are about concrete engagement, especially for climate resilience and justice.
Ignatius Juma, a Kenyan independent senior policy advisor, who has previously worked in favour of climate justice, told me that he will be following the Africa Forward Summit closely.
"It arrives at a consequential moment, when the gap between what African countries need on climate adaptation finance and what has been delivered is widening, not narrowing," he said. "Summits like this one are increasingly being judged on whether they close that gap or add to a long list of pledges."
Juma insists there is a need for propositions on energy transition financing, "particularly for countries caught between accelerating renewable buildout and still-unresolved legacy fossil dependencies," according to him.
He adds that there's a dimension that isn't on many summit agendas but absolutely should be: "the current Iran–USA conflict".
"Any escalation affects global oil prices, shipping routes, and the cost of refined imports into African markets," he insists. "That's not just a foreign policy story — it hits household livelihoods directly via transport fuel, food prices, and the operating costs of critical infrastructure."
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