The Africa Forward summit marks a major milestone in relations between France and the African continent, nearly ten years after the French president’s speech in Ouagadougou. It is the first summit of its kind to be hosted and co-chaired with an English-speaking country
The event will highlight the depth and dynamism of Africa–France relations through the diversity of participants, including governments, businesses, young people, artists, civil society, and diasporas. It will showcase the commitment of France, Kenya, as well as other African countries to accelerate mutual investment and to develop and finance concrete solutions to shared challenges such as strengthening health systems, food and health sovereignty, competitiveness in artificial intelligence, access to energy, and the blue economy.
The summit builds on previous international gatherings, including the 2021 Paris Summit on the Financing of African Economies, the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, the 2023 Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, and the African Union–European Union summit in Luanda in November 2025
The day of 11 May, titled “Inspire & Connect,” will be structured around a business forum co-organized by Proparco, Bpifrance, and Business France, which will highlight the depth of Africa–France economic partnerships and showcase projects and initiatives led by African and French private sectors, including support for African entrepreneurship, with the Choose Africa initiative as a key example. During this day, several key moments, attended by Presidents Emmanuel Macron and William Ruto, will focus on youth and on high-performing, job-creating, and unifying sectors such as sport and cultural and creative industries. AFD Group will also organize a segment dedicated to sport: a call to action during a high-level session, along with sports demonstrations to illustrate the role of sport as a driver of opportunity for future generations.
The day of 12 May will be the official summit, bringing together heads of state and government, international financial institutions, and CEOs of major African and French companies. AFD Group will take part, particularly in discussions on development finance and investments in strategic sectors for the continent’s industrialization
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Watch here the “Sport for Sustainable Investment” session from May 11
Discover the detailed programme of the plenary session
Three key days:
10 May: Innovation and social creation pavilion09:00 – 18:30 –Strathmore University
Organized alongside the Africa Forward summit, the innovation and social creation pavilion will bring together around 50 African and French civil society organizations to reflect on and highlight transformative dynamics in African societies
It will be structured around the following activities:
- sixpanels based on a white paper prepared ahead of the event, with key recommendations to be submitted to heads of state and government,
- partner stands,
- music and poetry interludes.
AFD Group will take part in this event to showcase, through a stand, concrete projects and cooperation models across the African continent
A speaking slot will also be organized by AFD Group as part of the partner-led sessions to highlight civil society actors engaged across the continent
11 May: Business Forum08:00 – 17:30 –University of Nairobi
Co-organized by Proparco (AFD Group), Bpifrance, and Business France, and held under the high patronage of President Emmanuel Macron and President William Ruto, the business forum will bring together 1,500 business leaders, investors, and public decision-makers from Africa and France, reflecting a dual reality: the African continent, as ars are actively engaging across all African countries
The objectives of the business forum:
- strengthen Africa–France–Europe business flows, particularly in high-potential sectors: energy, agribusiness, digital, health, logistics, sustainable cities, and cultural and creative industries,
- accelerate the continent’s industrialization by promoting African private sector actors and Africa–Europe partnerships and highlighting effective levers,
- create a space for concrete decision-making, linking the summit’s political ambitions with tangible industrial projects,
- highlight Kenya as an emerging industrial and technological hub, showcasing a dynamic continent.
The forum will be structured around a main stage, four thematic agoras (Build, Produce, Innovate, Trust), and a closed-door meetings space dedicated to stakeholder discussions
Three key sequences will shape the day:
- a session dedicated to youth, attended by President Emmanuel Macron and President William Ruto,
- a session dedicated to cultural and creative industries, attended by President Emmanuel Macron,
- a session dedicated to sport, including sports demonstrations and a high-level segment organized by AFD Group, attended by President Emmanuel Macron, President William Ruto, and President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye.
Full program available on the official Business Forum website
12 May: Africa Forward summit
The summit of heads of state and government on 12 May will bring together around 30 leaders alongside President Ruto and President Macron
Morning plenaries with heads of state and government will focus on:
- the energy transition and green industrialization,
- peace and security.
An official lunch, attended by AFD Group, will focus on the financial architecture for development in Africa
In the afternoon, four simultaneous roundtables will bring together high-level participants (heads of state and government, development banks, private sector, civil society, and research) on the following themes:
- Agriculture
- Health
- The blue economy
- Digital and artificial intelligence
Side events
11:00 – 13:30 Side event “Mission 300”, Business Forum
Mission 300 aims to accelerate electrification in sub-Saharan Africa while ensuring that the transition to more diversified and cleaner energys jobs. Investment efforts focus on generation, transmission, distribution, regional interconnection, and sector reform to ensure quality, reliability, and affordability of electricity supply
Faced with constrained public renance, combining private sector mobilization, country platforms, and strategic partnerships
This session:
- highlights a priority commitment by France to Africa’s economic development,
- provides visibility for multilateral partners involved in implementing Mission 300,
- fits logically into the broader summit program, linking to:
- discussions with CEOs,
- the official lunch on development finance,
- and work on the energy transition.
14:00 – 15:00: Sport for Sustainable Investment, Business Forum,Main Stage
Sport will be central to the summit, with a dedicated “Sport for Sustainable Investment” event organized under the high patronage of Presidents William Ruto and Emmanuel Macron
This conference will bring together leading figures, including heads of state and government, investors, business leaders, philanthropists, representatives of the sports movement, and public development banks. All are expected to make concrete announcements aligned with the Paris Agreement for Sport and Sustainable Development (July 2024). Expected participants include Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, Nantenin Keïta, Makhtar Diop, Géraldine Robert, Patrice Motsepe, Christel Heydemann, Régis Charpentier, and Faith Kipyegon.
Objectives
- showcases sport as a pillar of a renewed partnership between Africa and France, emphasizing shared achievements and ambitions,
- position sport as an investment sector and a driver of inclusive and sustainable development, as well as job creation for youth,
- mobilize all stakeholders – public and private actors, the sports movement, athletes, and civil society – around a shared agenda, as the continent hosts an increasing number of major international events.
This event builds on the Ouagadougou speech, the 2021 Africa–France Summit in Montpellier, the 2023 Sport Impact Summit in Dakar, and the 2024 Sport for Sustainable Development (Sport4SD) Summit in Paris. It will highlight the complementarity of public and private initiatives that have enabled Africa to strengthen its presence on the global sports stage, while positioning sport as a strategic sector at the intersection of economic growth and sustainable development
Follow the session live here on 11 May at 14:00 UTC+3
13:00 – 16:30:Sports demonstrations alongside the high-level “Sport for Sustainable Investment” session,University of Nairobi
In addition to the high-level “Sport for Sustainable Investment” session, sports demonstrations will be organized on 11 May on the sports grounds of the University of Nairobi, close to the Business Forum venue
These demonstrations aim to illustrate the role of sport as a tool for social cohesion, education, and youth empowerment by showcasing flagship projects from France–Kenya cooperation in this sector
The event will include several key moments:
- a basketball demonstration led by coaches from the Basketball Experience Kenya project, with young program beneficiaries,
- an athletics demonstration led by Iten House of Coaches, House 42 by Decathlon, and the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation,
- a football demonstration featuring youth tournaments led by Alive and Kicking, Futbol Mas, and Angaza Sport and Development Centre, funded by AFD and the Kenyan Football Federation.
The event will conclude in the afternoon in the presence of heads of state, with sports activities, speeches, and interactions with young participants, in front of an invited audience of more than 300 people, including official delegations, partners, elite athletes, and young beneficiaries