Emmanuel Macron arrived in Nairobi on Sunday and declared that the era of the French 'pré carré' in Francophone Africa ended in 2017. The French president met Kenyan counterpart William Ruto and is preparing an Africa-France summit.
The French president justified choosing English-speaking Kenya for the «Africa Forward» summit while downplaying tensions with Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. He criticised the Malian junta for demanding the withdrawal of French troops fighting jihadists.
Macron stressed the transformation of Franco-African relations since taking office. «This era is over», he said during a joint press conference with William Ruto.
Around 35 African heads of state and government are expected at the 11-12 May summit. A 700-million-euro deal was signed with shipping firm CMA CGM for logistics infrastructure in Kenya.
