Leaders arrive for Africa-France summit in Kenya

African leaders, French President Emmanuel Macron, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres gathered in Nairobi for the Africa Forward Summit, as France seeks to strengthen partnerships amid shifting influence in its former African colonies. The summit highlights renewed efforts to boost trade, security, and Africa’s access to global financing ahead of key international talks.

Jefferson Kahinju, Catherine Schenck/Reuters

12 May 2026 at 08:17:35

Leaders arrive for Africa-France summit in Kenya

French President Emmanuel Macron stands next to South African singer Nomcebo Zikode after attending the business forum during "Africa Forward" Summit 2026 at the Jomo Kenyatta Memorial Library of the University of Nairobi, in Nairobi, Kenya, May 11, 2026.

Thomas Mukoya/Reuters

Heads of state from African countries, as well as France president, Emmanuel Macron, and the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres arrived at the Africa Forward summit in Nairobi on Tuesday morning (May 12).

More than 30 African leaders gathered for a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron in Kenya on Tuesday, as Paris sought new deals and partnerships amid signs of fading influence in some of its former colonies on the continent.

The Africa Forward Summit is the first France has organized in an English-speaking nation and follows a series of setbacks in West Africa, where some Francophone leaders have cut back on security and commercial links with their erstwhile colonial ruler.

France - which has organized similar events in French-speaking nations since the 1970s - has touted rising trade with African countries, though it has experienced disappointments too.

The Kenyan president, William Ruto, will attend the G7 summit next month in Evian-les-Bains at the invitation of France, where he plans to push for global action to improve the continent's access to credit.

-Jefferson Kahinju, Catherine Schenck/Reuters