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Africa Forward Summit 2026 in Nairobi
On Monday and Tuesday, France and Kenya jointly hosted the Africa Forward: Africa-France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth Summit in Nairobi. The event brought together more than 30 African heads of state and government, as well as representatives of international organisations, including UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Mahmoud Ali Youssouf. In addition, between 1,500 and 2,000 business representatives attended. The summit, which focused on investment, infrastructure, digitalisation, energy supply, and reforms to the international financial architecture, was led by Kenya’s President William Ruto and France’s President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron announced private-sector investments totalling approximately 23 billion euros — 14 billion euros from French companies and 9 billion euros from African partners. The investments are to be directed towards sectors including energy, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, agriculture, and infrastructure. According to the French president, this could create around 250,000 jobs in Africa and France. Another major focus was the reform of the international financial system. Ruto criticised the high cost of access to capital markets and what he described as unfair risk assessments of African states by international rating agencies. Macron stated that he would also push for reforms to the international financial architecture at the upcoming G7 summit. Specifically, he said he would advocate for the creation of a first-loss guarantee mechanism to mitigate investment risks on the continent.
Politically, the summit was widely interpreted as a signal of France’s new Africa strategy. For the first time since the format was introduced in 1973, a France-Africa summit was held in an English-speaking African country. International observers also noted that, with the new branding of the event, France was deliberately seeking to distance itself from the former colonial influence model associated with Françafrique. Following the deterioration of relations with many francophone countries, particularly the Sahel states — a development that also led to the withdrawal of French troops from several countries in the region — Paris has increasingly sought to secure its influence through investment, economic cooperation, and soft power rather than military presence. Throughout the summit, Macron and Ruto repeatedly emphasised a more economically driven form of cooperation and partnerships based on equality.
The choice of Nairobi as the host city for the summit was not without controversy. The Kenyan opposition viewed it as a geopolitical decision by France in response to tensions with several francophone states and warned against the political strengthening of the Ruto government, which has faced domestic criticism over democratic shortcomings. Meanwhile, civil society and pan-Africanist groups organised a counter-summit and criticised the Africa Forward Summit as a “neo-colonial offensive” disguised in the language of partnership.
Nevertheless, the conference demonstrated that both France and numerous African states are seeking to redefine their relations. Kenya and France also used the occasion to expand their bilateral ties: on the Sunday preceding the summit, the two countries signed eleven bilateral agreements aimed at deepening cooperation, providing for investments worth more than 1 billion euros. These include the modernisation of Nairobi’s commuter rail network, valued at 12.5 billion Kenyan shillings (approximately 91 million euros), as well as the modernisation of two port terminals in Mombasa by the French company CMA CGM, amounting to 104 billion Kenyan shillings (approximately 700 million euros). Further agreements concern renewable energy, the expansion of the Kipeto wind farm, digital infrastructure, cyber security, artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, agriculture, and education. France is the fifth-largest foreign direct investor in Kenya and the leading bilateral partner in the energy sector. Around 140 French companies are active in Kenya. Another indication of the deepening partnership is Ruto’s invitation to the forthcoming G7 summit in France, where the Kenyan president intends to present and advance the demands and outcomes of the Africa Forward Summit at the political level.
South Africa plans to launch an investigation into the possible impeachment of President Ramaphosa
On Monday, South Africa’s parliament announced plans to establish an impeachment committee to investigate the allegations against President Cyril Ramaphosa in the so-called “Farmgate” scandal. The case concerns a cash theft that took place in 2020 and which, according to critics, Ramaphosa allegedly attempted to cover up. The current decision follows a ruling by the Constitutional Court of South Africa on Friday, which declared a 2022 parliamentary resolution unconstitutional and set it aside. At the time, the resolution had prevented the initiation of impeachment proceedings against Ramaphosa in connection with the affair. The legal challenge to the earlier decision of the National Assembly was brought by the opposition parties Economic Freedom Fighters and African Transformation Movement. After reviewing the evidence, the committee will now decide whether to recommend the launch of formal impeachment proceedings.
Cyril Ramaphosa stated in a televised address on Monday that he would legally challenge the parliamentary report, which had found evidence of possible misconduct on his part, arguing that it contained “serious flaws”. At the same time, he stressed that, contrary to demands from some opposition figures such as Julius Malema, he did not intend to resign. He argued that the ruling of the Constitutional Court of South Africa did not call for his resignation and that he did not wish to pre-empt the parliamentary process. Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party in the governing coalition, announced that it would participate in the committee’s work. At the same time, it expressed understanding for Ramaphosa’s decision to pursue legal action, while calling for the related court proceedings to be handled swiftly. The African National Congress (ANC) convened a meeting of its National Executive Committee for Tuesday to discuss how to respond to the affair.
The so-called “Farmgate” scandal dates back to 2020. At the time, approximately US$4 million was allegedly stolen from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s wildlife farm, “Phala Phala”, where the money was reportedly hidden inside furniture. The incident only became public in 2022 after former intelligence chief Arthur Fraser filed a complaint against Ramaphosa. Ramaphosa has been accused of failing to report the theft properly. He rejected all allegations at the time, stating that the sum involved had in fact been only 580,000 US Dollars, originating from the legal sale of buffaloes to a Sudanese businessman. Parliament, where the African National Congress (ANC) still held an absolute majority in 2022, rejected the initiation of impeachment proceedings against Ramaphosa at the time (Press Review CW 50/2022). In 2024, prosecutors also dropped further corruption and money laundering allegations against Ramaphosa.
Despite the ongoing proceedings, many political observers currently consider an actual impeachment to be unlikely. A two-thirds majority in parliament would be required for impeachment, which the African National Congress (ANC), which still holds more than one third of the seats following the last election, could block. Analysts also consider it possible that Cyril Ramaphosa’s legal challenge against the original report could delay the proceedings for several months and significantly prolong the process. At the same time, a possible vote of no confidence by the opposition is also regarded as conceivable. This would require only a simple majority in parliament. Despite the allegations and the country’s broader political challenges, Ramaphosa continues to be regarded in opinion polls as South Africa’s most popular politician. In a recent survey conducted in April 2026, his approval rating stood at around 31 per cent.
In other news
On Saturday evening, the twelfth edition of the « Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards » (AMVCA) took place at the Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos, Nigeria. Often referred to as the “African Oscars”, the awards ceremony honoured outstanding achievements in film, television and digital formats across a total of 32 categories. Particularly successful was My Father’s Shadow, directed by Akinola Davies Jr., which, among other accolades, won Best Film and also received awards for directing, screenplay, original score and sound design. The film also achieved international success and became the first Nigerian film to be selected for the official programme of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. It also won a BAFTA earlier this year (Press Review CW 9/2026). Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman became the first person to win two awards in the same year — Best Actress for The Serpent’s Gift and Best Supporting Actress for The Herd. The evening was hosted by Nigerian comedian Bovi Ugboma and South African actress Nomzamo Mbatha. Under the motto “Honouring Craft, Celebrating Culture”, numerous African stars appeared on the red carpet in extravagant fashion.