France seeks to move beyond colonial ties by meeting African leaders in Kenya

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. France seeks to move beyond colonial ties by meeting African leaders in Kenya24 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleAkisa Wandera , Africa, NairobiandHafsa KhalilAFP via Getty ImagesThe French president (L) is in Kenya, where he is co-hosting the Africa Forward Summit alongside his Kenyan counterpart (R)Accused of neo-colonial meddling in many African countries where it has traditionally had close ties, France is broadening its horizons by co-hosting a summit of African leaders in English-speaking Kenya for the first time. Speaking at the Africa Forward Summit in the capital Nairobi on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced investments worth $27bn (£20bn) in Africa in areas such as energy transition, digital and AI, the maritime economy and agriculture. "Africa is succeeding.

It's the youngest continent in the world… and needs investment to become more self-reliant," he said, adding that this would create some 250,000 jobs in Africa, and in France. "We are not simply here to come and invest on the African continent alongside you - we need the great African business leaders to come and invest in France," he told the audience at Nairobi's convention centre, reports the news agency. The two-day summit is aimed at broadening Paris's partnerships and making investment deals on the continent against a backdrop of rising anti-French sentiment and diminishing power in its former colonies, especially in West Africa.

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This reflects a step-change in how Paris thinks of its relationships with Africa. For many years after independence in the 1960s, France maintained close economic, political and security ties in many of its former colonies, leading to widespread accusations that little had changed. And French presidents over the years have held regular summits with African leaders - either in France or French-speaking Africa - until now.

Gilles Yabi, a Senegal-based political analyst focusing on relations between France and Africa, told the 's Newsday programme: "There's a new generation of Africans who… want to turn the page on colonialism and post-colonial influence. "Kenya's Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi called it an "opportunity for Africa to start speaking as one". "Having this summit being held in a non-French-speaking African country on the continent, to me, is a very, very big message that we should not be looking at engagements on the basis of the official languages that are spoken in those countries," he told the .

via Getty ImagesMany people came out to take photos with the French presidentHe said it was an "opportune moment" for Kenya and France to break away from the "more or less artificial" linguistic barriers stemming from countries being "branded" as Anglophone, Francophone or Lusophone, which "deters proper integration".

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.