France brought more than 30 African leaders to Nairobi on Monday for the first Africa Forward summit, marking the first time it has convened its African partners in Kenya and the first time French officials invited francophone counterparts to meet in an English-speaking country. The gathering, in Kenya’s capital, comes as Paris tries to redraw its ties with a continent where its influence has been shaken, especially in the Sahel.
Musalia Mudavadi said the summit sent un message fort. He said the fact that it was taking place in a non-francophone African country sent a clear signal that commitments should not be dictated by official languages, and described the meeting as a chance for Africa to speak with one voice. “Les priorités sont claires: la paix et la sécurité d'abord, puis le développement de partenariats économiques entre l'Afrique, la France et le reste du monde,” he said.
The summit’s symbolism was hard to miss. Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday at Borg El Ara, “On a souvent voulu renvoyer la France à un pré carré: l'Afrique française, l'Afrique francophone.” That line now sits against a meeting that breaks with the geography of France’s old habits, bringing Paris to an English-speaking African capital with no French colonial legacy.
Gilles Yabi said the summit “Africa Forward traduit l'évolution des relations entre la France et l'Afrique. Le symbole est fort: pour la première fois, ce rendez-vous traditionnel entre le président français et ses homologues africains se tient dans un pays anglophone, sans héritage colonial français.” He said that choice could also reflect “une certaine prise de distance” between Paris and several francophone African countries, even as ties remain solid in parts of West and Central Africa.
That split is most visible in the Sahel, where Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have seen rupture or strong tensions with France. Yabi said, “Dans le Sahel, notamment au Mali, au Burkina Faso ou au Niger, les relations avec la France sont marquées par une rupture ou de fortes tensions,” while adding that in other countries, “les liens politiques, économiques et diplomatiques demeurent solides, parfois même très étroits.” Paris, he said, is now looking to the whole continent as it explores new partnerships and new markets.
France’s challenge is not just diplomatic choreography. The summit is part of a wider effort to move beyond Françafrique and beyond the linguistic boundaries that long shaped French policy in Africa, while also facing a shrinking political footprint in parts of the continent. For Nairobi, the message is that the reset is no longer being discussed in Paris alone; it is being staged in Africa, in front of Africa’s leaders, and under Africa’s own spotlight.
