Emmanuel Macron has touched down in Kenya this week, choosing Nairobi as the backdrop for what France is calling a fresh, partnership-based approach to the African continent. Because nothing says "we're different now" quite like picking an entirely new venue and calling it a summit.
The Africa Forward Summit, running Monday and Tuesday in Nairobi, is France's latest attempt to reframe its relationship with Africa - a relationship that, to put it diplomatically, has had some turbulence lately. France has seen its influence significantly eroded across the Sahel region, with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger all having shown Paris the door in recent years. Kenya, meanwhile, is one of the continent's fastest-growing economies and a diplomatic heavyweight in East Africa, making it a strategically smart choice for Macron's reset play.
So what's actually on the table?
According to France 24, the summit is bringing together an eclectic mix of heads of state, business executives, and artists - a combination that either sounds like a TED Talk fever dream or a genuinely novel attempt to pitch Africa-France ties as something broader than just trade agreements and defense pacts.
The business angle is front and center. France is reportedly eager to promote commercial partnerships as the cornerstone of its new Africa strategy, signaling a move away from the paternalistic aid-and-military model that critics have long argued defined the old "Françafrique" era.
The cultural component is also notable. Throwing artists into the diplomatic mix suggests Paris is keenly aware that its soft power game on the continent needs serious work - especially among younger African populations who have not been shy about expressing their frustrations with French foreign policy on social media.
A genuine reset or just a new coat of paint?
That is the billion-dollar question, and skeptics are not in short supply. France has announced Africa "resets" before, and the continent's leaders - and populations - have grown understandably cautious about rhetoric that promises partnership while the underlying dynamics remain the same.
Kenya's own foreign policy posture, notably independent and pragmatic, means Nairobi is not simply going to roll out the red carpet uncritically. President William Ruto has been vocal about African nations charting their own economic destinies.
Whether this summit produces concrete outcomes or simply generates good photo opportunities for Macron remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: France knows it can no longer take its African relationships for granted, and showing up to Nairobi with a packed agenda is at least a sign that Paris is paying attention.
Source: France 24, reporting by Bastien Renouil.
