Kenya , France rally AU backing for historic summit in Nairobi

the-star.co.ke · Feb 15, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

Full Article

Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi and French Minister Delegate for Francophonie, International Partnerships Eleonore Caroit during a meeting to plan the “Africa Forward Summit on the margins of the 48th AU Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa on February 12, 2026Kenya and France have rallied African leaders for the first-ever France-Africa Summit to be held on African soil, scheduled for May 11-13 in Nairobi.The two countries’ top diplomats on Thursday hosted the Africa Forward 2026 High-Level Breakfast Meeting on the margins of the 39th AU Summit in Addis Ababa, where they briefed participants on the objectives of the meeting.The Addis meeting is the latest in a series of high-level planning meetings for the summit, which has been dubbed a platform to “renew Africa-Europe cooperation”.Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi on Thursday said Kenya and France are strengthening a forward-looking partnership focused on unlocking opportunity for Africa’s future.“The meeting provided an important platform to engage AU delegates on the summit’s vision, showcasing Africa’s innovation and talent, driving co-investment and building strategic partnerships,” he said.This, he noted, will expand opportunities for Kenyan youth and entrepreneurs.Mudavadi also met African Union Commission chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, who reaffirmed the Commission’s support for the Summit and alignment of outcomes with Agenda 2063.In bilateral talks with the foreign ministers of Ethiopia, The Gambia and Algeria, Mudavadi said he used the opportunity to encourage their participation in the summit.He noted that the meeting will position Kenya as a convening hub for global dialogue, investment and strategic cooperation.Foreign Affairs PS Korir Sing’oei said the conference will advance solutions on green industrialisation, energy transition, health, AI, agriculture and financial reform.“We welcomed contributions and proposals from participants, underscoring our commitment to an inclusive and mutually beneficial summit for all African countries,” he said.“Kenya reaffirmed its dedication to strengthening Africa’s global partnerships for innovation, growth and sustainable development, and looks forward to strong continental participation to advance Africa’s development and global engagement.”Last month, Mudavadi and French Minister Delegate for Francophonie and International Partnerships Eléonore Caroit met African ambassadors in Paris to brief them on the summit.Caroit said the agenda will include reform of the international financial architecture, economic issues in the fields of the environment, new technologies and health, as well as sports, youth and culture.By co-hosting the summit, Kenya is positioning itself as both a continental convener and a broker of a new kind of Africa-Europe conversation.This comes at a time Africa is navigating debt stress, climate vulnerability, food insecurity and pressure to create jobs for a fast-growing young population.On the other hand, European countries are rethinking their engagement with Africa amid geopolitical competition, supply chain concerns, migration debates and the global push for green energy transitions.Visiting French Minister Caroit on Friday said the summit will help in establishing areas of interest for both sides in creating investment, jobs and other opportunities for balanced partnerships.The summit will have six interconnected themes: green industrialisation, energy transition, health systems, artificial intelligence, agriculture and reform of global finance.Each reflects an area where Africa is seeking accelerated transformation and where France, and by extension Europe, has technical, financial or political leverage.