Kenya, France Signal Bold New Investment Push Ahead of Africa Forward Summit 2026

Kenya and France have signalled a new wave of high-impact strategic partnerships across Africa, as preparations intensify for the Africa Forward Summit (AFS) 2026 following a high-level engagement with the Kenya Editors Guild.

In a decisive shift from dialogue to delivery, the Summit is positioning itself as a deal-making platform expected to scale up mutual investment and unlock partnerships across AI and digital innovation, nuclear and renewable energy, health manufacturing, infrastructure, transport, agriculture, and the creative economy, sectors critical to Africa’s long-term growth.

With between 1,500 and 2,000 global CEOs and business leaders anticipated, the Africa Forward Summit 2026 is emerging as one of the largest Africa–Europe investment convenings in recent years.

Speaking during the engagement, Dr. Korir Sing’Oei, Principal Secretary in the State Department for Foreign Affairs, emphasized the need to reframe the Africa–France relationship, moving beyond outdated stereotypes and barriers that limit innovation, constrain partnerships, and ultimately slow development.

“France is looking for a new relationship with Africa—one grounded in mutual respect, shared opportunity, and practical outcomes. We must consciously move away from pre-written narratives that have historically defined this relationship. Africa Forward Summit is about breaking these barriers and focusing on solutions,” said Sing’Oei.

The Summit will spotlight artificial intelligence and digital transformation ecosystems. Other key areas include health sector investments, particularly local manufacturing of essential commodities, creative and cultural industries as economic drivers, and sports as an emerging frontier for investment and job creation.

Energy transition, infrastructure development, regional connectivity, and agriculture and food systems transformation will also feature prominently in what is being framed as a reset of Africa–France relations.

Reinforcing the economic weight behind the Summit, Arnaud Suquet, Ambassador of France to Kenya, Somalia, and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, highlighted France’s sustained commitment to Africa and Kenya.

“Over the past decade, French investments in Kenya have grown significantly, particularly in energy, infrastructure, and services. Today, more than 140 French enterprises operate in Kenya. In the past decade, France has invested an estimated €1.8 billion in Kenya in sectors that drive employability and sustainability for a better future,” said Suquet.

France currently ranks as Kenya’s fourth-largest foreign direct investment partner and remains the leading bilateral partner in the country’s energy sector.

According to Suquet, global convergence around climate action, digital transformation, and sustainable development continues to create new opportunities for deeper Africa–France collaboration.

Africa Forward Summit 2026 is not only a government-to-government platform. Leaders emphasized that private sector capital will be central to delivering the Summit’s outcomes.

“Governments alone cannot drive economic transformation at the scale Africa requires. Private sector participation at the Africa Forward Summit is not complementary—it is essential if we are to deliver on the commitments,” noted Dr. Sing’Oei.

The Summit, scheduled for May 12 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), will be preceded and accompanied by a series of high-impact engagements designed to drive both policy dialogue and people-to-people connections, most of them hosted at the University of Nairobi on May 11.

These include the Africa Forward Literary Festival on May 8, a Civil Society Forum on May 10, a Youth and Innovation Engagement on May 11, and two high-level sessions on Creative Industries and Sports the same day.

The Summit will culminate in the ‘Africa Forward Le Concert,’ a flagship cultural diplomacy event at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani Indoor Arena. The lineup features leading African artists including Youssou N’Dour, Fally Ipupa, Yemi Alade, Nomcebo Zikode, Savara, and Jose Chameleone, among others.

The engagement with the Kenya Editors Guild underscored the critical role of the media in shaping public understanding and ensuring accountability.

Editors were briefed on the Summit’s outcomes-driven approach, the pipeline of expected deals and partnerships, and the importance of balanced, evidence-based reporting.

Africa Forward Summit 2026 will mark the first Africa–France summit of its kind hosted in Anglophone Africa, underscoring Kenya’s growing role as a continental convenor of global dialogue and investment.

The Summit is expected to culminate in a Nairobi Declaration and a series of action-oriented deliverables, positioning it as a turning point in Africa–France engagement ahead of the G7 Summit scheduled for June in Evian-les-Bains, France.

Some of the Summit’s outcomes are expected to feed directly into discussions at the G7, where Kenya will participate.