Victor Bwire is the Director, Media Training and Development at the Media Council of KenyaThe first of its kind, the French are hosting a continental meeting on an Anglophone soil to explore growth and partnership opportunities.
The summit reflects a renewed and forward-looking partnership between Africa and France, grounded in mutual respect, shared responsibility, and a clear commitment to delivering tangible outcomes. It will be disappointing if the summit fails to crack this routine workshopping syndrome, where high-level meetings of such nature end up with empty rhetoric, and nothing practical to take home, for a lot is at stake for Africa.
The convening will bring together over 30 Heads of State and Government, approximately 4,000 delegates, and 2,000 private companies and top CEOs, positioning Nairobi as a major diplomatic, investment and media hub for the continent.
Huge agricultural and circular economy potential to feed the world, the biggest number of technological start-ups that fail to take off, and consumers of externally developed solutions that have left it begging all the time, Africa needs to rise and actualise the innovation capabilities it possesses. Current development approaches are working to the disadvantage of Africa.
The Africa Forward summit is a unique high-level session for heads of state, the African Union leadership, various industry captains and investors that promises to showcase the immense potential that lies in the continent and what is required to unlock the investments, partnerships, and financing frameworks required to scale these opportunities sustainably and inclusively.
Discussions will center on the need for practical recommendations and an implementation matrix on energy transition and green industrialisation, reform of the international financial architecture, largely how to mobilise private capital for developing the continent, blue economy, sustainable agriculture and food security, Artificial Intelligence and digital technologies, and resilient health systems, including focus on local production of vaccines and medicines.
The summit presents an opportunity to highlight the commitment of France, Kenya and other African countries to stepping up mutual investment and to building and financing tangible solutions to common challenges, including health system strengthening, food sovereignty, digital competitiveness, energy access and connectivity.
Planned for 11-12th May 2026 in Nairobi, under the theme “Africa–France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth” and co-hosted by H.E. William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, and H.E. Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, summit discussions and recommendations will focus on newly found partnership models for development that promise to prioritise Africa-led solutions to the problems facing the continent. Focus of the solution-based discussions will be on unlock capital, scale innovation, deepen trade and investment linkages, and create inclusive growth pathways that are resilient and sustainable. Development Models that respect and value African input and prioritisation of issues and solutions that do not disadvantage the continent in her relationship with others from outside the continent.
Hopefully, as co-hosts of the Summit, Kenya and France will in addition to providing a platform that enables alignment between policy, capital, and innovation, but make a difference by way of catalyzing partnerships to deliver results that endure beyond the Summit. It’s a time discussion on development shifted from shifting from workshopping, bold ambitious recommendations to actual operationalization of the grand ideas.
Earlier summits have happened and little came out of them including the GES2015 led by Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta and Barack Obama in Nairobi some years ago, the Tokyo International Conference on African Development-TICAD of 2016, the first in Africa among others.
Such events as the Africa Forward Summit are significant in the country’s efforts to improve not only its image, showcase its potential as a business and tourist destination but increase its credibility among the community nations as a serious place to invest in.
As the media plays its development role, its might also be helpful to assist in creating awareness of Kenya's offerings, attract high quality tourists while growing and developing mutually beneficial relationships with key players in the global hospitality space. Those with information need to share it with the media proactively so that media carries big stories about them, which not only adds to its positive image.
That Kenya is East Africa's commercial hub needs to be highlighted. That Kenya is home to the finest athletes' needs massive exposure. That Kenya is a steppingstone to the EAC and COMESA markets needs top of mind presence. That Kenya has the highest concentration of universities must come.
The writer is Director, Media Training and Development at the Media Council of Kenya
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