President William Ruto and French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday unveiled a raft of major agreements touching on transport, energy, digital technology and education as Kenya hosts the Africa-France Summit in Nairobi from May 11-12.

Speaking after a bilateral meeting at State House, Nairobi, President Ruto described the summit as a historic moment for Kenya and Africa-France relations.

“Kenya is deeply honoured to host this summit, the first to be held outside France or a Francophone African country in more than five decades,” Ruto said.

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The President said the summit, themed “Africa Forward: Africa-France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth,” had brought together leaders, investors and innovators to push practical cooperation in infrastructure, innovation, green growth and development financing.

Ruto noted that Kenya and France have maintained strong diplomatic ties since 1963, when France was among the first countries to recognise Kenya’s independence.

“Over the years, this partnership has evolved into a broad and strategic engagement across multiple sectors,” he said.

The Kenyan leader said France remains one of Kenya’s leading economic partners through investments supported by the French Development Agency in renewable energy, urban mobility and climate-related projects.

A key highlight of the talks was the signing of 11 agreements aimed at deepening cooperation across strategic sectors of the two economies.

Among the flagship projects announced was the rehabilitation and modernisation of the Nairobi Commuter Rail at a cost of 83 million euros, equivalent to Sh12.5 billion.

Ruto said the commuter rail project would become “a central pillar of our urban transport modernisation programme.”

The project will expand and upgrade major rail corridors linking Nairobi to satellite towns including Syokimau, Embakasi, Ruiru and Kikuyu. The Riruta-Ngong line currently under construction is also expected to improve connectivity within the Nairobi metropolitan region.

Kenya and France also signed an agreement establishing a joint venture to develop and finance logistics and port infrastructure worth about $800 million, or Sh104 billion.

In the agriculture sector, the two countries signed a deal to facilitate the purchase of premium purple tea varieties and promote Kenyan speciality teas across French retail networks.

Ruto said the agreement would create opportunities for value addition and boost farmers’ incomes.

The two leaders also discussed Kenya’s digital transformation agenda, with talks focusing on digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and digital public services.

“Kenya is building a dynamic digital economy that is driving innovation, competitiveness, and regional integration,” Ruto said, citing flagship projects such as Konza Technopolis and the Digital Superhighway.

Additional agreements covered the blue economy, fisheries, peaceful uses of nuclear energy, financing for the raising of Masinga Dam and the modernisation of Kenya’s climate and weather services.

The two countries also agreed to collaborate on the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel in Kenya and the expansion of the Kipeto wind energy project by an additional 100 megawatts at a cost of $250 million, equivalent to Sh32.5 billion.

Ruto and Macron further pushed for enhanced air connectivity between Kenya and France to support growing trade, tourism and business engagements.

“At present, limitations in frequency, capacity, and routing constrain the full potential of direct air links between our two countries,” Ruto said.

According to the President, improved air links would increase tourist arrivals, facilitate exports of fresh produce, flowers and seafood to Europe and strengthen the competitiveness of Kenya Airways.

The talks also touched on health cooperation, with the two countries agreeing to strengthen collaboration in digital health, laboratory systems and epidemic preparedness.

Ruto said the partnership would improve the use of real-time data for early detection and response to disease outbreaks.

Education and technical skills development also featured prominently during the discussions.

Ruto announced that the University of Nairobi Engineering and Science Complex project worth 35 million euros, or Sh5.6 billion, had moved into the implementation phase.

“The design finalised, procurement underway, and contractor onboarding expected later this year,” he said.

The Higher Education Engineering Equipment Support Project will also equip four universities with modern engineering laboratories and equipment for mechanical, electrical and civil engineering training.

On regional and global matters, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism, climate action and reforms of the global financial architecture to ensure fair access to financing for developing countries.

Ruto said Kenya views the summit as “a turning point towards a more balanced, action-oriented, and results-driven Africa-France partnership.”