French President Emmanuel Macron and Kenyan President William Ruto are set to open a two-day Africa-France summit in Nairobi on Monday, in a gathering expected to test France’s effort to rebuild its relationship with the continent after major setbacks in West Africa.
The summit, being held for the first time in an English-speaking African country, is expected to draw about 30 heads of state, along with business leaders, investors and representatives of multilateral institutions. French officials have framed the meeting as part of a “renewed partnership” with Africa, after years of criticism over Paris’s political, economic and military influence in its former colonies.
The meeting comes after France completed the withdrawal of its troops from several West African countries amid rising anti-French sentiment and military takeovers in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. France also handed over its last major military facility in Senegal last July, after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said French bases were incompatible with Senegalese sovereignty.
Ruto said he and Macron expect the Nairobi summit to be a “turning point” toward a better partnership. Macron, speaking ahead of the meeting, acknowledged the changing geopolitical climate, saying France may “disagree” with some West African governments but “never disagrees with the people.”
The choice of Kenya as host is politically significant. Ruto has positioned Nairobi as a diplomatic hub and said Kenya is “neither looking East nor West” but “looking forward.” On Sunday, Kenya and France signed 11 agreements covering sectors including nuclear energy, transport modernisation and sustainable agriculture.
Macron said the investments were aimed at strengthening “human capital,” in line with the summit’s focus on innovation, youth and Africa’s growing workforce.
However, the summit has drawn criticism inside Kenya. Opposition leader Kalonzo Musyoka questioned the choice of Nairobi as host, accusing the government of presiding over democratic backsliding, attacks on the opposition and human rights violations ahead of the 2027 election. “There will be an air of pretense that we are a cohesive nation,” he said.
For France, the summit is an attempt to move beyond the legacy of Françafrique and court new partners outside its traditional sphere of influence. For Kenya, it offers an opportunity to attract investment and strengthen its global profile. Whether the meeting produces a genuine reset will depend on whether African leaders see the partnership as equal, practical and free from old patterns of control.
