Africa is not waiting.
It is building.

Since 2017, we have been working on overhauling the Africa–France relationship. We wish to build partnerships on an equal footing, founded on shared interests and tangible results.

The Africa Forward Summit will be a significant milestone in that endeavour. For the first time, France and an English-speaking African country will co-chair this event, symbolizing an open and future-focused relationship.

This summit will bring together States, businesses, young people, artists and diasporas. Because the relationship between France and Africa cannot merely be declared, it must be built on the ground by innovators, entrepreneurs and creatives.

Our priority is clear: to step up investments and strengthen our cooperation programmes in healthcare, education, food, digital technology, energy and infrastructures. In Nairobi, some 1,500 economic stakeholders will be mobilized to transform ambitions into projects and projects into results.

We are making a strategic choice in ensuring the private sector is the driving force behind this new momentum.

But beyond the economy, there is an essential political message: Africa must be fully involved in global decisions. Peace, climate, technology and prosperity: none of these challenges can be addressed without it. That is why we are spearheading an ambitious reform of international governance, for a fairer, more representative and more effective multilateralism.

The Nairobi summit will be a moment of truth in the lead-up to the G7 Summit in Evian. A moment to welcome a renewed relationship between Africa and France, one that is clear, of a high standard and firmly action-oriented.