Macron Launches 'Africa Forward' Summit in Kenya, Pivoting France's Continental Strategy
Primary region Africa
Tags Diplomacy · Security · Economy
Regions Africa · Europe
French President Emmanuel Macron embarked on a three-country East Africa tour (Egypt, Kenya, Ethiopia), culminating in the 'Africa Forward' summit in Nairobi on May 11-12 — France's first such summit in an Anglophone African country. The summit brought together approximately 30 heads of state and business executives to focus on economic development, cross-border investment, green energy, and security partnerships. Macron's tour is widely seen as a bid to repair economic and security ties and counter rising anti-French sentiment across parts of Africa, particularly in the Sahel where Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have expelled French forces and turned to Russia as a security partner.
Strategic interpretation
Macron's pivot to Anglophone Africa reflects France's diminished influence in its former West African colonies. The Sahel military rulers' turn to Russia has fundamentally altered the security landscape. By focusing on economic partnerships and cultural cooperation rather than military presence, France is attempting to reinvent its postcolonial relationship. However, competition from China, Russia, Turkey, and Gulf states means France faces a much more crowded field than in previous decades.