After losing influence in West Africa, France seeks a regional reset at Kenya summit ⁰

Shorn of influence in its former colonies in West Africa, France will seek to deepen ties elsewhere on the continent next week at an Africa summit in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, its first to be held in an English-speaking country.

With a year left in his presidency, French President Emmanuel Macron is hoping ​to showcase a “renewed ‌partnership” with Africa, an aide at the Élysée Palace told reporters.

Monday and Tuesday’s summit, which will ⁠be attended by heads of state, business executives and heads of multilateral development banks, follows repeated setbacks for France in former colonies where it has wielded influence for decades.

A series of coups in ‌the Sahel region since 2020 have brought to power military officers who have expelled French troops and invited in ⁠Russia-backed mercenaries like the Wagner Group and its successor, Africa Corps, to deal with violence and unrest perpetrated by jihadist militias.

France also handed over control of its last major military facility in Senegal last July after Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye – who is expected to attend the Kenya summit – said French bases were incompatible with the country’s sovereignty.

“It does feel ​like a rebranding of how France is positioning itself on the continent,” said Beverly Ochieng, a Senegal-based senior ‌analyst at the Control Risks consultancy.

“It is moving away from some of its former colonial partners, security partners, towards countries where it has more of a cultural – a different footprint.”

French pivot

Macron came to power in 2017 vowing to ‌bring an end to “Francafrique”, the lingering and often murky links between France and its former colonies that at times saw Paris back autocratic regimes, while broadening engagement across the continent.

The pivot has involved attempts to tackle historical tensions with ​countries like Rwanda and Algeria while more closely engaging African civil society and youth leaders, said Alain Antil, the head of the Sub-Saharan Africa programme at the French Institute for International Relations.

At the same time, Paris has looked to boost trade ties, growing its imports ​from Africa by a quarter between 2021 and 2024, according to data from the International Trade Centre.

France and Nigeria ​signed a €300 million investment agreement in 2024 to support critical infrastructure, healthcare, transportation and renewable energy across Africa’s most populous ​country.

Investment deals, especially in areas like clean energy, artificial intelligence and education, are expected to be at the centre of Macron’s trip to Africa for the summit, during which he will also visit ​Egypt and Ethiopia.

Macron’s government has also looked to strengthen security cooperation with non-traditional partners, including by signing a defence pact with Kenya last October to boost cooperation in intelligence-sharing, maritime security and peacekeeping.

However, France has faced some high-profile setbacks in countries where foreign investors like China and Gulf states have leveraged deep pockets and longstanding relationships to build influence.

Kenyan President William Ruto’s government terminated a deal with a consortium led by France’s ⁠Vinci SA for a $1.5 billion highway expansion project last year and handed it to Chinese firms instead after Kenyan authorities said the contract saddled them with too much risk.

Ruto, who ⁠will co-host the summit, ​plans to focus on advancing talks on making the global financial system fairer to heavily indebted African countries. France has pledged to support this campaign.

Source: Reuters