NAIROBI, Kenya – The Airbus A330-200 carrying French President Emmanuel Macron and his delegation departed the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on the morning of Wednesday, May 13, 2026, for Ethiopia’s Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa.
Macron had just concluded his Kenyan visit after co-chairing the first Africa Forward Summit with President William Ruto. The two-day event in Nairobi gathered over 30 delegates to advance partnerships in energy, AI, digital tech, maritime, and agriculture, with Macron unveiling 23 billion pounds in investments to support the creation of 250,000 jobs.
But even as Macron departed the Kenyan soil on the aircraft that serves as his principal official plane for long-haul international travel, it was not a matter of when but if his visit to the Africa Forward Summit, the first of its kind to be held in an Anglophone nation, would prove ultimately worthwhile.
Before leaving Nairobi, Macron praised Ruto as a brother who delivered on the ‘bold summit’ idea and thanked Kenyans for their warm hospitality while framing the deals as equal investments amid France’s outreach to Anglophone Africa.
Macron, who at one point during his visit to Nairobi faced backlash after interrupting a panel and silencing the crowd, praised Ruto for accepting his request and organising what he termed a successful Africa Forward Summit, commending Kenya’s hospitality and describing the event as a powerful symbol of friendship and deepening ties between France and Africa.
“And I want all our companies and our citizens to hear this as a message. I want the youth of France to understand that our fate is tied to the African continent, which will succeed with Africa. Let me first thank President Ruto, my dear brother William, because he had to be crazy to accept this offer to co-chair and organise a summit like this one, but he did,” said Macron.
“But more than that, he delivered. I want to thank the president of Kenya, his government, his teams, and all the organisations involved, including the French teams, because together you clearly built something unique, which is the Africa Forward Summit. What you achieved is premium. The Africa Forward Summit is the beginning of a new era, no doubt,” Macron said during the closing ceremony of the two-day event.
On his part, President Ruto, whose government faced backlash from Pan-Africanists for hosting the summit after France was expelled from the Sahel, maintained that Africa must take the lead as policymakers and private sector leaders in taking charge of the continent’s own development.
“Any other support we get from friends like Macron and other people will be secondary. We will not allow ourselves again to be slaves of anybody. We are going to take charge of our own future,” said Ruto. The Kenyan head of state insisted that following the summit, Africa would not allow itself to be “exploited” again because “we know what we must do”.
Why Africa should not blame anyone for its mistakes
The head of state further went on:
“And what we are saying is that we don’t want to blame anyone for our own mistakes. President Paul Kagame (Rwanda) told us today that no one owes us development. We owe it to ourselves. So, we must not look for favours when we can do it ourselves,” added Ruto.
During day 2 of the summit, at least five youths were arrested at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), one of the venues for the Africa Forward Summit, and later arraigned. They were charged with offensive conduct and disruption of the peace.
While reacting to Kenya co-hosting the summit, Prof. Macharia Munene, a political historian, said that it was a good thing that such a meeting of that calibre took place in Nairobi.
“It gives some publicity to Nairobi and nothing else. The summit gave a chance to some African presidents to meet outside the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa,” said Macharia.
Prof. Macharia indicated that the summit was also a good thing for Macron as a person.
“This is something that is giving him mileage that he might not get in another place. Macron is a man who is struggling to be accepted as a leader in Europe and in the world. So, what better way to show that he is accepted outside Europe than Nairobi, which was not part of the French colonial system?” observed Macharia.
Macharia, who doubles as a political analyst, indicated that the meeting was also beneficial to President Ruto, who is currently facing his first term in office.
“Ruto is an interesting man. He craves validation and acceptance as a leader of Africans. This meeting gave him a chance to appear as the leader of Africans because his continental counterparts were supposed to sit down and listen to him while watching what he does. So, this meeting is going to benefit both Macron and Ruto,” added Macharia.
President Ruto’s and Macron’s stronger ties
Prof. Macharia emphasised that the summit was mainly about the French interests in Africa.
“But again, Macron and Ruto to synchronise so we’ll. Further, Macron appears to have recognised Ruto as a person to promote the French interests, the way he sees it. There is a convergence of interests between the two men on how they control their two countries at this time. Whether or not there are benefits out of this summit is another matter,” added Prof. Macharia.
Following the summit themed ‘Africa Forward: Africa-France Partnership for Growth and Innovation’, the leaders adopted a declaration which President Ruto said is a framework for a strengthened Africa-France partnership to advance inclusive growth and innovation.
Adopted in Nairobi, Kenya, on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, the declaration calls for the following:
- Strengthening of peace
- Security and strategic autonomy
- Advancing sustainable value-added agriculture
- Building resilient health systems
- Powering growth through green industrialisation and energy transition
- Unlocking the blue economy
- Harnessing digital transformation and artificial intelligence
- Reforms in the international financial architecture
- Investing in people, skills, and innovation
- Strengthening of infrastructure, trade and regional integration
- Mobilising resources for transformation and a shared vision for transformation
Also speaking after the summit, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema denied claims that France had summoned African leaders to the event.
“I understand what that is coming from. I think we shouldn’t define it as one country encompassing Africa. Mind you, also, at times, an African summit is held in those countries. This is the first time we are hosting this summit on the continent in this way, in a broader, if you like, Africa rather than Francophone,” explained President Hakainde.
Further, Prof. Macharia observed that most of the countries that came to Nairobi are usually “beholden” to France or to the big powers.
“For instance, Sierra Leone is a British colony but relies closely on Morocco. Each country was here because of what it considers its interests and how France can come in to help and support,” said the professor.
Sahel bitterly falls out with France
Following a series of military coups since 2020, the juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger expelled French troops and severed long-standing military ties with Paris.
Rather than engaging with Western-backed initiatives, these three nations, which snubbed the Africa Forward Summit, formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). They have explicitly pivoted their security and economic partnerships toward Russia, China, and Turkey.
“Whether or not Mali, Burkina Faso and Nigeria were invited or not, it was highly expected that they would not come because of their beef with France,” explained Prof. Macharia.
Prof. Macharia reiterated that the failure of the African Union to attend the summit was telling that something is wrong.
“The United Nations was here, and Secretary General Antonio Guterres said something about financing. If the idea here is for the Africa Forward Summit to replace the African Union as a vehicle for Africa’s problems, then we have a problem,” added Prof. Macharia.
Speaking at the summit, the UN boss said that adaptation must no longer be an afterthought.
“The adaptation gap must be closed. Africa is paying an enormous price in relation to the devastation caused by climate change, and Africa is being denied the resources and capacity to protect their populations and their infrastructure in these circumstances. Climate finance with justice is a must in today’s world,” explained Guterres.
As the leaders and their delegations gathered at KICC and the University of Nairobi for the historic event, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua criticised the summit, saying the meeting served political interests rather than ordinary Kenyans.
Gachagua pours cold water on the summit
Gachagua further claimed the summit was used as a platform for international and political image cleaning rather than addressing local challenges affecting citizens, urging Guterres to take note of what he described as serious human rights violations in Kenya while accusing Ruto of political intimidation and intolerance.
“The Africa Forward Summit happening in Nairobi is just a slideshow of Mr William Ruto to hoodwink Kenyans on matters that affect them. But what is coming out of this is nothing. Kenya risks slipping into anarchy if William Ruto is tempted to rig elections that he is bound to lose. We urge the world and more so, the UN secretary general, to take note of the actions of Ruto ahead of the 2027 elections,” Gachagua told reporters in Nairobi.
The Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader also claimed that Macron’s visit was linked to discussions around the alleged misuse of billions of shillings of taxpayers’ money.
“It is important we let you (Macron) know Kenyans made noise at the University of Nairobi’s Taifa Hall during your address. It was not out of disrespect or hatred. They had a message for you: their taxes had been used and wired to French firms to the tune of KSh 7 billion, being proceeds of crime, as their children are out of school and have no food on the table,” explained Gachagua.
But in a quick rejoinder, former Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria hit out at Gachagua, saying that the timing and flavour of his comments on the Africa Forward Summit were further proof of a leader who does not care for this great nation.
“We may have our local differences, but for Kenya to host an event of this magnitude is something that all well-meaning Kenyans should be proud of. By the way, I challenge Rigathi Gachagua to post even one photo of him meeting any diplomat as an opposition leader. Which leader of the opposition can go for almost two years without meeting the international community? Rigathi Gachagua will soon reveal his true self – a village tyrant suicidally determined to lead a cult, not a nation,” Kuria, a close ally of President Ruto in Gachagua’s Mt. Kenya region, posted on his official social media platforms.
Divided opinion on the France-Africa summit
Additionally, while reacting to the summit, environmental lawyer Joseph Masakhalia said that the motive behind what Kenyans do as a community is always about self-interest.
“This purported summit was the only way of manipulating and diverting people’s attention from the real cause and the real problem at the expense of the economy,” said Masakhalia.
Masakhalia stated that anything Africans do is based on fake ideologies.
“We actually misintroduce ourselves and bring up puppets, which, at the end of the day, are just to benefit one or a few individuals economically and financially. When shall we change as Africans to do things with goodwill and a sincere motive?” he posed.
However, Catherine Koffman, the Green Climate Regional Director, said, “With the French president co-chairing this event on the African continent and particularly in East Africa, I think that is a positive move, and it’s inclusive.”
The curtains finally came down on the Africa Forward Summit at Kasarani Indoor Arena on the night of Tuesday, May 13, 2026, with Le Concert that brought together African music, culture, leaders and creatives for a night celebrating unity, diversity and the continent’s creative spirit.
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