The Summit — 12 May 2026 — KICC, Nairobi

A new partnership.
Built on equal ground.

The Africa Forward Summit is a landmark gathering of African Heads of State, the President of France, the African Union, international financial institutions, and development partners — convened to produce concrete commitments and a new model of partnership between Africa and France.

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Head-of-State Authority

Announced at the 79th UN General Assembly by Presidents Ruto and Macron. Closing remarks will be delivered jointly by both presidents.

From Dialogue to Delivery

The Summit’s mandate is concrete commitments — not declarations. Every roundtable is designed to produce bankable, scalable, implementable outcomes.

Who Participates

Heads of State & Government

African Heads of State and the President of France, convening at the highest diplomatic level.

African Union

Continental body ensuring pan-African representation and alignment with Agenda 2063 priorities.

European Union

Strengthening the Africa-EU partnership through trade, investment, and multilateral cooperation frameworks.

International Financial Institutions

Development banks and multilateral lenders driving reform of the global financial architecture for Africa.

Private Sector CEOs

Approximately 30 leading chief executives from Africa and France, driving investment and partnership commitments.

Civil Society & Youth

Representatives from civil society organisations and youth leaders shaping the future of Africa-France relations.

Seven Themes. One Agenda.

Energy Transition & Green Industrialisation

A joint plenary structured around facilitating trade and investment, promoting bankable projects, and strengthening skills and talent development.

Reform of the International Financial Architecture

Reforming the financial architecture to better mobilize private capital (both local and international) for the development of the African continent.

Blue Economy

Three axes: strategic priorities in maritime governance and environmental security; creation of blue jobs; and decarbonisation of maritime transport.

Sustainable Agriculture

Strengthen multi-stakeholder partnerships to support the transition toward productive, sustainable, and resilient food systems in Africa.

AI & Digital Technologies

Investment in digital infrastructure, partnerships for open AI, growth of start-ups and talent training, and financing the high-tech sector.

Resilient Health Systems

Health cooperation through partnership and co-construction, strengthened local production of vaccines and medicines, and continental capacity in health.

Peace & Security

Plenary session on peace and security issues in support of African mediation efforts and the actions of the African Union.

Programme

The detailed Summit programme is being finalised and will be published in due course. The Summit will take place on 12 May 2026 at KICC, Nairobi.

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Side Event · First Ladies’ Programme

Building Safer Digital Spaces for Children in Africa

Policy · Partnership · Action — moving child online safety from commitment to implementation in an AI-driven world.

At the sidelines of the Africa Forward Summit, H.E. Mrs. Rachel Ruto, E.G.H., First Lady of the Republic of Kenya, in collaboration with the Office of the Special Envoy on Technology and World Vision International, will convene a high-level side event focused on one of the defining challenges of our time: protecting children in rapidly evolving digital and artificial intelligence environments.

Across Africa, children are embracing digital technologies at unprecedented speed — connecting, learning, creating, and participating in new ways. Yet the systems shaping their online experiences are often not designed with their safety, dignity, development, or agency in mind.

A structured roundtable, not a panel

Designed as a structured dialogue rather than a traditional panel, the event brings together First Ladies, senior government representatives, ambassadors, African Union and United Nations actors, technology companies, mobile network operators, civil society, faith-based leaders, development partners, and critically, children and youth themselves.

Sustainable financing for child protection

A central emphasis is the need for sustainable financing to prevent and respond to online sexual exploitation, abuse, and other technology-facilitated harms. The dialogue will examine practical approaches to fund survivor services, trusted reporting and takedown mechanisms, regulatory and enforcement capacity, digital literacy, and community-based child protection.

Nothing About Children, Without Children — children are co-architects of the digital and AI driven world they will inherit

Children’s voices will open and close the session, reinforcing that children are not only subjects of protection but rights-holders and co-architects of the digital world they will inherit. Participation is designed to safeguarding standards — meaningful, age-appropriate, and ethical.

From Concern, To Collective Action — moving child online safety from commitment to implementation

This event reflects a shared commitment to ensure that digital transformation and AI innovation advance human development and protect children, rather than expose them to harm — moving from concern to coordinated, financed follow-up.

Detailed Agenda

Tuesday, 12 May 2026 · State House, Nairobi

A high-level dialogue convening First Ladies, ministers, ambassadors, multilateral leaders, technology and civil society partners, alongside the children and youth whose voices anchor the session.

Pre-session

08:00

Arrival and Networking · Protocol