Africa Forward: France's opportunity to reshape its approach in Africa?
Reunited in Nairobi on 11 and 12 May, the Africa Forward summit was marked by an important French involvement to redefine its presence on the continent, in a context of accelerated geopolitical recomposition. The summit was meant to bring together all actors participating in Franco-African partnerships from economic or cultural sectors to diasporas and youth. It focused on 5 main points, education, energy, infrastructures, employment and finally public and private investments. To conclude this summit, the French President E. Macron announced 23 billion Euros of investments, from which 14B are coming from French companies and 9B from African investments.
The choice of Kenya to hold this summit seems significant, as France tried to address itself to English speaking countries in Africa, possibly more prone to an open discussion with Paris, rather than French speaking ones. Indeed, France suffered in the past years an important rejection coming mainly from West African countries and particularly from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. Therefore, after the relative failure of French politics on the continent, the Africa Forward summit seems to have created a new momentum for French diplomacy, shifting from security driven to economic exchanges.
From security to economic partnership:
Despite being deeply affected by political changes in the Central Sahel and a significant loss of credibility, it has maintained a presence in Africa. This persistence has been reinforced not only by diplomatic and economic ties, but also by African diasporas and by the enduring reach of the Francophonie, which have helped sustain French influence on the continent, albeit in a more limited form than before.
Thus, France has been forced to rethink its engagements in Africa, and the Africa Forward summit signals precisely a diplomatic reset in its approach to the continent. This shift specifically follows a more economical logic after the end of the operation Barkhane. The choice of Kenya also demonstrates a certain willingness to move beyond the traditional francophone framework, and challenge other countries’ influence, such as China or the USA, economically more present in anglophone countries.
Africa as a strategic arena:
Beyond the French renewed involvement on the continent, Africa also became a strategic arena where major powers compete for influence. Over the past years, several major and growing powers have been particularly prolific on the continent. Russia and Turkey used to their advantage security dynamics mainly in the Sahel region, whereas China or the USA reinforced their position as important economic partners in terms of foreign investments.
As this competition takes place, African states are increasingly able to use it to their advantage, directly seeking partnerships that are more diversified and less dependent on a single actor. Therefore, more than a simple economic summit, Africa Forward reminded that African countries are no longer objects of foreign policy, but fully active players in a greater competition of power that takes place on their continent. Additionally, it demonstrated African states' growing ability to shape the terms of engagement of foreign countries.
Conclusion:
Ultimately, the Africa Forward summit was less about announcing a grand return than about testing whether France can still reinvent its role in Africa. As more countries compete for influence on the continent, French success will depend less on the scale of the announcements than on the credibility of their delivery. The real question is whether the commitments made in Nairobi will translate into concrete and lasting action in the months ahead.
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