Experts warn African countries against merely serving as stepping stones for developed economies

Added: 2026-05-18

[00:00:00]France seeks new commercial frontiers in non-francophone nations. Experts warn that African countries, including Kenya, must not merely serve as stepping stones for developed economies, but also equal partners benefiting directly to develop their own nations. At the ongoing two-day Africa Forward Summit that has brought nearly 50 nations to Kenya, France is looking to pivot after losing its grip on key former colonies in West Africa, including Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali. NTV's Laban Shabani reports.

[00:00:32]For 60 years, the narrative of French influence in Africa was written in the military barracks of the Sahel and the halls of francophone capitals. The contract between Kenya Railways and L5 Consortium >> But today, the ink is drying on a new chapter, one that is being authored not in Paris, but in Kenya's capital. I I'm pleased to come back Yes. uh on Nairobi 7 years after my first trip. France has interests in Kenya and Kenya has interests in a relationship with France. With over $1 billion in new deals spanning the blue economy and the green energy, France is positioning itself as Kenya's strategic gateway into Europe. In return, Paris is leveraging Nairobi as its own anchor into the Indo-Pacific.

[00:01:21]>> France being a global power, which rates very highly in terms of our global powerful nations, uh has to keep her influence still felt in Africa. And that is where Kenya now stands to benefit because of our foreign policy, where we are open and as the president has said that we are neither leading east or west, but we are looking forward. The hosting of Africa Forward Summit in an English-speaking nation for the first time represents a profound strategic reorientation. It is a calculated move by the Elysee Palace to transcend the linguistic and colonial boundaries that have historically defined its continental reach.

[00:02:03]This anglophone pivot comes at a time of absolute necessity.

[00:02:08]Having faced a series of diplomatic and military setbacks in West Africa, specifically following military coups and the surge of anti-France sentiment in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, France is exploring new frontiers, but Paris insists all is not lost. We've been very vigilant to have civil society, even from Sahel states, being present.

[00:02:32]Because we can disagree with some of these governments, quote to quote, but we never disagree with people. We love these people. France is uh I angling herself to make a lot of inroads in what is uh traditionally anglophone countries, so that uh she can widen her nets in terms of her global influence and having now Nairobi as the entry point to the East African market. While the Nairobi summit angles for anglophone Africa, Macron emphasizes that the traditional base remains. Among the 50 countries represented are francophone mainstays, including Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Chad and Djibouti. Paris attempts to bridge the linguistic divide.

[00:03:19]>> [music] >> The challenge for President Macron is to prove that this isn't merely a rebranding of old interest. In a fractured global order, the success of this summit hinges on whether Paris can move past empty rhetoric, matching the urgent demands of reformist leaders. The Africa-France summit must move beyond dialogue to implementation. It is incumbent upon the Kenya diplomatic core to make sure that they look for a way that they can actually uh memorandum because previously we have witnessed a number of times we come out of global summits, very big summits with just photos and speeches. France can reinvent its method, but whether it can reinvent its reputation remains to be seen. This summit is a gamble that East African growth can compensate for the humiliating West African retreat in the Sahel.

[00:04:21]Laban Saban NTV.