France’s Strategic Pivot: Kenya Becomes New Gateway to Africa
The recent Africa Forward summit in Nairobi, co-organised by France and Kenya, marked a significant recalibration of France’s African strategy. French President Emmanuel Macron and Kenyan President William Ruto formalised 11 bilateral agreements, collectively valued at over a billion Euros. These agreements, covering infrastructure, logistics, clean energy, and trade, signal a deeper transformation: Paris is now anchoring its African strategy in the Anglophone economies of East Africa, with Nairobi positioned as a crucial regional hub.
The Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs hailed these as “major investment agreements covering infrastructure, trade, and clean energy,” reflecting the core objective of the Africa Forward summit: to translate high-level partnerships into tangible results that drive development, foster prosperity, and improve living conditions across the continent.
The Details of the Billion-Euro Commitment
Among the key agreements, an €83 million allocation will modernise the Nairobi Commuter Rail. This project aims to rehabilitate and upgrade urban rail infrastructure in the Kenyan capital, addressing significant congestion that, according to the UN, costs the city up to $600,000 daily in lost productivity.
A more ambitious agreement commits approximately KES 104 billion (approximately €684 million) to develop port and logistics infrastructure. This initiative seeks to boost the flow of goods, create employment, and solidify Kenya’s status as a regional trade and transit hub.
The energy sector also received substantial commitments, with the Kipeto wind power project securing KES 32.5 billion (around €213 million). This investment will enhance renewable electricity production, supporting Kenya’s sustainable energy objectives. Additionally, a trade agreement aims to further open the French market to Kenyan tea, with the explicit goal of delivering “direct economic benefits to the country’s agricultural communities.”
Nairobi: The New Anchor for French Strategy
Beyond these specific projects, the summit underscores a progressive shift in France’s strategic centre of gravity towards Anglophone Africa, a trend observed over several years. This was further formalised in January with an establishment agreement between Kenya and the Agence française de développement (AFD) group, solidifying AFD’s institutional presence in the country. Active in Kenya since 1997, AFD has already committed over €2 billion to projects in energy, water, transport, health, and biodiversity. Its subsidiary, Proparco, has financed nearly a billion Euros in projects since 1995.
This growing engagement is not arbitrary. Facing a decline in influence in several Francophone Sahel and West African nations, France is actively diversifying its African partnerships. The emphasis is shifting from political, security, and military concerns to trade, development, and cultural engagement, demonstrating France’s commitment to engaging with all African nations.
The choice of Kenya as co-organiser of Africa Forward holds significant symbolic weight. It marks the first Africa-France summit held in an Anglophone country, following previous summits in Bamako (2017 and 2005), Yaoundé (2001), and Ouagadougou (1996).
For Paris, Nairobi offers several strategic advantages. Kenya is recognised as one of East Africa’s most dynamic economies, attracting approximately $1.5 billion in foreign direct investment in 2024. It hosts the regional headquarters of numerous multinational corporations and international organisations, and plays an increasingly important role in climate negotiations and energy transition projects. Nearly 120 French companies are established in Kenya, leveraging its strategic regional hub status, particularly in logistics. According to a Deloitte study for Medef International, East Africa witnessed the highest increase in French foreign direct investment, growing by 101% between 2025 and 2023.
The Port of Mombasa serves as a vital gateway for several landlocked East African economies, including Uganda, Rwanda, and South Sudan. Consequently, investments in port and rail infrastructure address both Kenyan national interests and a broader regional commercial integration strategy.
Global Competition for East Africa
This French repositioning unfolds within an intensely competitive environment. China remains the primary foreign player in the region’s infrastructure, while Gulf countries, Turkey, and India are also expanding their presence. In April 2025, Beijing announced a new level of strengthened relations with Nairobi, and a Chinese initiative now allows several African countries, including Kenya, to export over 98% of their products duty-free to China.
In this context, France’s strategy appears to be evolving towards sectors deemed more likely to have a significant impact: renewable energies, artificial intelligence, urban infrastructure, the blue economy, and private sector financing. The Africa Forward summit itself was structured around these economic, entrepreneurial, and technological themes. According to AFD, over 2,000 political, economic, and financial stakeholders participated, aiming to “find solutions to common problems of converging interest for France and African countries.”
The crucial question remains whether this strategy will be sufficient to sustainably restore French influence on the continent. Elysée announcements indicate over €23 billion in investments at the summit’s opening, including €14 billion from French public and private entities (such as Meridiam, Orange, and CMA CGM) and €9 billion from African investments. Will this meet Africa’s evolving expectations? Driven by an increasingly active civil society and a youth seeking genuine development, African states now demand partnerships that deliver rapid results, support local industrialisation, and create real value transfers. In this competition, credibility will be measured by the execution capacity of projects and their concrete impact on African economies.
