Macron Pitches €23 Billion France-Africa Investment Push as He Recasts Ties as Equal Partnership
Updated
Updated · FRANCE 24 English · May 13
Macron Pitches €23 Billion France-Africa Investment Push as He Recasts Ties as Equal Partnership
2 articles · Updated · FRANCE 24 English · May 13
€23 billion in private French and African investment was the headline figure Macron put forward in Nairobi, where he said Africa wants investment rather than budget aid and framed a new France-Africa relationship as a partnership of equals.
Macron said France should have pushed Mali's leaders harder on development and political dialogue alongside security operations, adding Paris may have needed to rethink its military presence sooner after anti-French forces drove out French troops.
On Congo, he urged Kinshasa and the Rwanda-backed AFC/M23 rebels to resume talks, calling for foreign forces to leave Congolese soil and for the African Union to lead efforts to restore sovereignty in the east.
Macron also backed the EU's tougher migration line, including faster returns for failed asylum seekers, while rejecting deportations to unrelated third countries in Africa and defending higher tuition for non-EU students in France.
Why does Macron condemn US migrant deals in Africa while supporting similar EU policies on the continent?
Can France's new partnership reform a financial system that costs Africa billions in high interest rates?
Is France's 'partnership of equals' a new vision or just a tactic to counter Russian influence in Africa?
France’s €23 Billion Investment in Africa: Resetting Relations Beyond “Françafrique”?
Overview
In May 2026, France announced a historic €23 billion investment package for Africa at the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya. This unprecedented initiative marks France’s most ambitious effort in a generation to redefine its relationship with the continent. By choosing Nairobi and partnering with an Anglophone co-host, France signaled a deliberate shift to broaden its engagement beyond traditional Francophone countries. The scale and location of the investment highlight a profound change in strategy, aiming to move past old models and foster more inclusive, continent-wide partnerships based on mutual respect and shared goals.