Nairobi – Tanzanian Prime Minister Dr. Mwigulu Nchemba arrived in Nairobi on Sunday, May 10, 2026, to represent President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the Africa Forward: Africa–France Partnership for Innovation and Growth Summit, a major continental meeting aimed at deepening ties between African nations and France.
The two-day summit, scheduled for May 11–12 in the Kenyan capital, is expected to focus on trade, technology, energy, healthcare, artificial intelligence, agriculture, the blue economy and industrial development.
Organizers say the gathering is designed to strengthen long-term cooperation between Africa and France while encouraging new investment partnerships.
The summit is co-hosted by William Samoei Ruto and Emmanuel Macron. More than 4,000 delegates are expected in Nairobi for the summit, including around 30 heads of state and government officials, as well as prominent business figures from Africa and France.
Officials said the conference will also discuss reforms to the international financial system and strategies for sustainable development across Africa. Development partners, investors and private-sector leaders from both Africa and France are expected to attend.
Security is also expected to dominate discussions during the summit, amid shifting geopolitical alliances and rising instability in parts of Africa.
France has recently lost military influence in several Sahel countries following coups and growing anti-French sentiment, leading to the closure of bases in countries including Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire.
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However, French officials believe the worsening security situation in parts of Africa could open a new chapter for cooperation between Paris and African governments.
Speaking to The Africa Report, President Macron argued that Europe offers security support in a changing global order where “China and the US trample the international system.”
Macron has also called for strengthening the African Union’s response force under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter and urged an end to proxy conflicts across the continent.
“Africa cannot be the theatre for the military influence of one side or another, or for proxy wars”, says Macron. “That is what we lived through in Libya. It is what we are living through today in Sudan, and, in some sense, in the Sahel.”
