NAIROBI, Kenya- President William Ruto and French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday oversaw the signing of 11 bilateral agreements between Kenya and France, as Nairobi positioned itself at the centre of a new Africa-Europe partnership strategy ahead of the highly anticipated Africa Forward Summit.
The deals, signed at State House, Nairobi, span transport, energy, digital technology, agriculture, climate action, healthcare and infrastructure financing, in what President Ruto described as a “looking forward partnership agenda” focused on innovation, investment and mutual benefit.
Among the flagship agreements is the rehabilitation and modernisation of the Nairobi Commuter Rail project valued at Sh12.5 billion.
The project is expected to improve transport connectivity across Nairobi and satellite towns, including Syokimau, Embakasi, Ruiru and Kikuyu.
Kenya and France also signed a major logistics and port infrastructure agreement estimated at Sh104 billion, alongside deals supporting Kenya’s digital transformation agenda, cybersecurity systems, artificial intelligence cooperation and expansion of renewable energy projects.
President Ruto said the partnership marks a shift from traditional donor-recipient relations to future-oriented collaboration driven by investment and shared priorities.
“We are looking forward to partnerships built on innovation, industrialisation, climate resilience and technology transfer,” Ruto said during the bilateral talks.
The agreements also include cooperation in the blue economy, climate and weather systems modernisation, sustainable aviation fuel production, agriculture transformation and the expansion of the Kipeto Wind Energy Development Project by an additional 100 megawatts.
Kenya further signaled interest in leveraging French expertise in nuclear energy as the country pursues its ambitious target of generating 10,000 megawatts of electricity in the coming years.
President Macron, who arrived in Nairobi ahead of the Africa Forward Summit beginning Monday, said France was keen on strengthening economic and strategic ties with Kenya and other African nations beyond historical relationships rooted in Francophone Africa.
The summit, co-hosted by Kenya and France, is being held in an English-speaking African country for the first time and is expected to bring together heads of state, investors, diplomats and global business leaders to discuss trade, innovation, climate financing and infrastructure development.
Analysts say France’s growing engagement with Kenya reflects a broader geopolitical shift as Paris seeks to rebuild influence across Africa following setbacks in several West African nations.
