Almost ten years after French President Emmanuel Macron’s Ouagadougou speech, which laid the foundations for renewed relations between France and the countries of Africa, Kenya and France are co-organizing the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi on 11 and 12 May 2026.
This renewal is built on a partnership of equals, based on shared interests and tangible results. And so initiatives have been implemented over the past nine years: ending permanent French military presence and closing bases in Senegal, Chad, Gabon and Côte d’Ivoire, prioritizing training courses (21 regionally-oriented national schools (ENVRs)); supporting greater representation of the continent of Africa in international forums; mobilizing our partners by organizing summits on the economic growth of the continent (Conference on the Financing of African Economies in 2021 and Paris Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in 2023), fighting global warming (One Forest Summit in Gabon in 2023), strengthening food security (Food & Agriculture Resilience Mission in 2022), and producing vaccines in Africa (Global Forum for Vaccine Sovereignty and Innovation in 2024).
Specifically, in Liberia, France’s renewed commitment has led to:
The signing in October 2025 in Paris of a cooperation agreement between Liberia and France aimed at deepening our bilateral partnership across a wide range of sectors: agriculture, climate, biodiversity, renewable energy, mining, education, vocational training, health, water & sanitation, sport and youth.
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The launch, in December, of the Wonegizi-Wologizi Initiative for Sustainable Ecosystems (WISE) by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD). This 11th project financed by AFD in Liberia (9 M€) aims to protect one of West Africa’s largest and most biodiverse forest and support the communities who live in it.
As a member of the P5 at UNSC, the high-level consultations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in December 2025, in order to prepare Liberia’s accession to a non-permanent United Nation’s Security Council seat for 2026-2027 and bolster Liberia’s impact during this important tenure.
In addition, France has been able to face its colonial past, with a will to move forward in a spirit of dialogue. Remembrance work on the actions of the French State and public administration began wherever it was requested (Rwanda, Senegal, Cameroon) and an unprecedented movement on the return of cultural goods was initiated (Benin, Algeria, Senegal, Madagascar, Côte d’Ivoire).
The Africa Forward Summit, for the first time hosted and co-chaired by an English-speaking country, will reflect the profound transformation in its ties with African countries which France undertook almost 10 years ago, based on acknowledgement of the past and a will to build balanced, forward-looking partnerships.
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It will be an opportunity to highlight the commitment of France, Kenya and other African countries to stepping up mutual investment and to building and financing tangible solutions to common challenges, including health system strengthening, food sovereignty, digital competitiveness, energy access and connectivity. It will illustrate the rich diversity of relations between Africa and France, built around a wide variety of actors – States, business leaders, young people, artists, diasporas, with special emphasis on young people and the private sector.
H.E. the President of the Republic of Liberia, Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s participation to this summit highlights the strength of Franco-Liberian ties and underscores our joint engagement on regional and global challenges.
The results of the Summit, which are focused on action and built with all of the continent’s Heads of State and Government, will help consolidate the ties binding Africa and France, and build forward-looking partnerships.
In Liberia, this engagement will also result in the promotion of civil-society initiatives that foster entrepreneurship, sports, arts, and youth employment. In that sense, the Alliance Française de Monrovia and the French International Technical Expert working for the ministry of Youth and Sports, also contribute directly by their work and the partnerships they establish, to building up ties and the connection with the francophone West-African neighbours and the whole continent.
Isabelle LE GUELLEC, Ambassador of France to Liberia.
