Kenya is set to host the Africa-France Summit in 2026, marking the first time the event will be held outside of France or a Francophone African country since its inception in 1973.

State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohammed announced on Friday that the decision was revealed by Presidents William Ruto and Emmanuel Macron during the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York. The announcement was made at a lunch meeting hosted by President Macron, following the signing of the Paris Pact for the People and the Planet Coalition.


The summit will bring together Heads of State and Government, as well as representatives from civil society and the private sector, to discuss and promote reforms in global financial institutions and governance systems. The aim is to more effectively tackle the ongoing planetary crises, an area where Kenya and France have been actively cooperating.

This event marks a significant shift for the Africa-France Summit, which will be hosted by an Anglophone country for the first time in its 53-year history. In a joint statement from Presidents Ruto and Macron, the summit’s focus will be on finding solutions to challenges related to climate change, environmental issues, and the reform of the international financial system.


The summit will aim to promote a new form of multilateralism, aligned with both the Paris Pact for People and the Planet and the Nairobi Declaration from the Africa Climate Summit.