Kenya
French President Emmanuel Macron urged more investment in Africa on Sunday, as he prepared to co-host the Africa-Forward summit with his Kenyan counterpart.
The first such forum to be held in an English-speaking country, it marks a shift in French policy towards the continent.
Paris has stressed its new outlook as a “partnership of equals,” with the focus on economic cooperation and investment.
Macron used the occasion to announce major news deals between the two nations:
“French companies are investing in and believe in Kenya’s potential, CMA-CGM, which has just committed to renovating two terminals at the port of Mombasa, a total investment of €700 million; Meridiam, which is set to expand the country’s second wind farm to the tune of $225 million; Kibeto; and in total, across all the projects, as we have seen, as I was saying, more than €1 billion has been committed.”
In all, Macron and Kenya’s President Ruto signed 11 agreements on Sunday, including investments in modernised transport, sustainable agriculture and a nuclear energy plant.
“We understand as African leaders that we too have responsibilities,” Ruto said.
“This relationship is not going to be one-sided. We will be expecting from France as they will be expecting from us and they will be giving as much as we are giving. That is the win-win, you know, mutually beneficial relationship.”
Ruto said both leaders expect the summit to be a “turning point” toward a better partnership. But he added that Nairobi is looking to nurture a wide range of relationships, “neither looking East nor West” but “looking forward.”
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