Kenya has officially completed preparations for the Africa Forward Summit, set to take place at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre.
Kenya has formally handed over the Kenyatta International Convention Centre to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in preparation for the Africa Forward Summit scheduled for May 11–12, 2026.
Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano officially transferred the venue to Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi. This action marks the transition of KICC into the official operational venue for the inaugural Africa Forward Summit to be hosted in Anglophone Africa.
The Summit will gather over 30 African Heads of State and Government, more than 4,000 delegates, and approximately 2,500 global business leaders, investors, innovators, development partners, and policy actors from across Africa, France, and the broader international community.
Under the theme “Africa Forward: Africa–France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth,” the Summit is poised to indicate a significant transformation in Africa–France relations through a new framework based on parity, innovation, co-investment, and practical implementation.
Officials also inspected the venue with Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei, French Ambassador to Kenya Arnaud Suquet, KICC Chief Executive Officer James Mwaura, senior government officials, French Embassy representatives, Summit Secretariat officials, and local and international media.
During the ceremony, Dr. Mudavadi characterized the Summit as a strategic platform focused on repositioning Africa within a changing global order.
“The Summit centers on a simple yet powerful proposition: that Africa must progress from dialogue to delivery, from declarations to implementation, from promises to measurable outcomes, and from historical dependency frameworks toward partnerships based on parity, mutual respect, innovation, and shared opportunity,” stated Mudavadi.
Dr. Mudavadi added that Kenya was privileged to host a summit designed to advance beyond traditional declarations toward tangible outcomes that enhance the lives of African citizens through investments, partnerships, innovation, and job creation.
CS Miano stated that the successful preparation and handover of KICC demonstrated Kenya’s capability to host one of the most significant international gatherings on the continent in recent years.
She noted that the Summit would further strengthen Nairobi’s status as a premier destination for global diplomacy, business tourism, multilateral engagement, and international conferences.
Dr. Sing’oei emphasized that the Africa Forward Summit was deliberately structured as an implementation-focused platform aligning political leadership, private sector capital, and innovation ecosystems around Africa’s development priorities.
“The matters under discussion at the Summit are directly connected to investment, job creation, industrial development, food security, innovation, and the broader socio-economic wellbeing of African citizens,” he said.
According to the PS, the Summit aims to redefine Africa’s engagement with global partners by positioning the continent not as a passive recipient of support, but as a strategic participant and co-creator of global solutions.
The Summit will concentrate on seven key thematic pillars shaping Africa’s future development trajectory: green industrialization and energy transition, reform of the international financial architecture, blue economy development, sustainable agriculture and food systems, artificial intelligence and digital technologies, resilient health systems, and peace and security.
A prominent feature of the Summit will be the Africa Forward Business Forum at the University of Nairobi. The forum is expected to convene over 2,500 CEOs, investors, entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs, sovereign institutions, and policymakers in what organizers describe as one of the largest Africa–France private sector engagements ever held on the continent.
French Ambassador to Kenya Arnaud Suquet and Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs Korir Sing’oei addressed media questions during a press briefing at the KICC ahead of the Africa Forward Summit 2026 scheduled for May 11-12.
The Business Forum will include CEO roundtables, investment announcements, business-to-business matchmaking, innovation showcases, youth entrepreneurship platforms, and sector-focused discussions covering infrastructure, logistics, artificial intelligence, health manufacturing, creative industries, agriculture, connectivity, and clean energy.
French Ambassador Arnaud Suquet characterized the Summit as a reflection of France’s dedication to establishing more balanced, forward-looking, and mutually beneficial partnerships with African countries.
The envoy noted that France is currently the fourth-largest foreign direct investor in Kenya, with more than 150 French companies operating in the country and employing over 36,000 people.
He stated that the investments demonstrate strong confidence by French capital in Kenya’s manufacturing and production sectors, while unlocking future growth opportunities through innovation, industrial cooperation, and sustainable investment.
Notably, France is also expected to initiate construction on a new state-of-the-art science and engineering complex at the University of Nairobi’s Chiromo Campus during the Summit as part of its investment in Kenya’s education sector.
The Summit will conclude with the adoption of the Nairobi Declaration, expected to establish a new framework for Africa–France cooperation focused on implementation, accountability, and measurable impact.
Acknowledging the media’s role in communicating the ambitions of the Summit, Dr. Sing’oei called on journalists across the continent to capture the significance of the gathering.
As final logistical, diplomatic, security, protocol, and media preparations intensify ahead of the opening ceremony, Kenya has reaffirmed its commitment to delivering a world-class Summit that positions Africa at the center of conversations shaping the future of global growth, innovation, and partnerships.
The Africa Forward Summit is a joint Africa–France initiative co-convened by the Republic of Kenya and the Republic of France with endorsement from the African Union, and is positioned as a structural shift in Africa–France relations based on parity, innovation, and shared implementation.