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French President Emmanuel Macron has begun a new diplomatic tour of Africa as France seeks to rebuild its relationship with the continent following years of growing tensions, especially in several former French-speaking colonies, where anti-French sentiment has intensified.
Macron’s trip will take him to Kenya, Egypt and Ethiopia. In Kenya, the French leader will co-host the Africa Forward summit alongside African leaders and business executives, with discussions expected to focus on economic development, regional partnerships, and cross-border investment opportunities.
According to the Elysee Palace, “The Africa Forward summit marks a major milestone in relations between France and the African continent.” French officials also noted that the gathering would be the first major Franco-African summit hosted in an English-speaking African country, reflecting what Paris describes as a shift towards deeper engagement with anglophone Africa.
Macron’s visit comes at a time when France’s influence across parts of Africa has weakened significantly. In recent years, French troops withdrew from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger following military coups and growing hostility towards Paris. The ruling junta in those countries have since strengthened ties with Russia.
France has also faced criticism over its long-standing “Francafrique” strategy, a system widely viewed as allowing Paris to maintain political and economic influence in its former colonies after independence. Macron has repeatedly promised to move away from that approach and has acknowledged France’s colonial-era abuses in countries including Rwanda, Cameroon and Senegal. However, he has stopped short of issuing a formal apology for abuses committed by French troops during the Algerian war.
Amaka Anku, who heads the Africa section at Eurasia Group, defended Macron’s broader Africa strategy, saying France’s declining influence in the Sahel region “was a long time coming” and had been inherited by the French president. She added that “the best thing Macron did was to try to expand France’s relations with anglophone Africa.”
Still, some analysts remain doubtful about how much Macron can achieve before the end of his presidency next year. Africa expert Niagale Bagayoko argued that “nothing particularly new can happen in Franco-African relations before the end of Emmanuel Macron’s term,” adding that “there is too much baggage.”
Critics have also accused Macron of failing to fully understand changing public opinion across Africa, with some describing his leadership style as arrogant and paternalistic. His 2020 meeting with Sahel leaders in the French city of Pau was widely criticised and, in the view of some observers, reinforced colonial-era power dynamics.
Ahead of the trip, France’s parliament passed legislation aimed at simplifying the return of artworks looted during the colonial era, a move seen as part of efforts to repair relations with African nations.
Before arriving in Kenya, Macron is expected to join Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the unveiling of a new university campus in Alexandria. He will later travel to Addis Ababa for meetings with the African Union Commission Chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, and the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres.
