France woos Anglophone Africa at Kenya summit, Macron pushes investment

France woos Anglophone Africa at the Nairobi Economic Forum, where President Emmanuel Macron delivered a stark warning: without decisive capital, Africa’s growth trajectory will stall.

France woos Anglophone Africa: Macron’s Kenya investment pitch

He urged European firms to channel ↑ 15% more funds into sectors ranging from renewable energy to digital infrastructure, citing a projected $12 billion pipeline over the next five years. Misconceptions about the continent’s risk profile, still echoing in boardrooms across Paris, were called out as “outdated and costly”. A

“We cannot afford to trade myth for market,”

Macron told delegates, referencing a recent Reuters analysis that flagged a ↓ 8% drop in foreign direct investment to Africa last quarter. Meanwhile, Kenyan conservationists launched a parallel campaign to double the dwindling Bongo antelope population, hoping to flip a critical conservation status before 2030. The summit, co‑hosted with Kenya’s President William Ruto, underscores a broader French strategy to cement ties with Anglophone Africa ahead of the 2027 EU elections.

Dispatch from Declan Cross (Interim Market Researcher).
(Note: Declan Cross is covering this desk while Julian Vance is recovering from the flu.)