French President Emmanuel Macron says Africa is the world’s youngest and fastest-growing continent, stressing the need for greater investment to strengthen its sovereignty.

Macron said this at the Africa Forward Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya.

The summit, co-organised by France and Kenya, attracted more than 2,000 African and European business leaders, investors and public decision-makers.

The business forum highlighted the depth of Franco-African economic partnerships and showcased projects, innovations and initiatives driven by the private sector.

Mr Macron said the summit began with listening to African youths speak about their dreams, ambitions and ongoing innovations.

According to him, France is ready to make smart investments that will benefit African youths while strengthening bilateral ties.

He said Africa and Europe shared common challenges in areas such as technology, artificial intelligence, payment systems, cultural and creative industries, and global narratives.

The French president noted that both continents remained dependent on global powers such as the United States and China for solutions and innovation.

“There is a divide between entrepreneurs and consumers, and the solutions are designed in America or China. When we talk about AI, many of us today are merely consumers.

“We share the same battle when it comes to investment and building strategic autonomy for Europe and Africa. If we work together, we will be much stronger,” he said.

Mr Macron also stressed the need for joint investments in infrastructure and energy to support development and electrification across Africa.

“If we want to build infrastructure, we must invest together. Also, no infrastructure is possible without energy. We must build renewable and nuclear infrastructure to expand electrification for homes and businesses across Africa,” he said.

According to him, infrastructure development is closely linked to sovereignty and reducing dependence on foreign powers.

He also identified talent development as another major challenge, urging both Africa and Europe to create opportunities that would enable skilled youths to remain and contribute to their economies.

“A few years ago, French AI talents were working in Silicon Valley. Now they are returning because we are becoming leaders in AI in Europe. The challenge is the same in Africa. We must train more people and create strong educational systems that will help retain talent on the continent,” he said.

Mr Macron said France would expand partnerships with African universities and accelerate investments in digital training and innovation. He disclosed that Orange would establish 50 digital centres to train one million young Africans by 2030.

Orange is a leading French telecom and digital services company operating across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

He added that the Digital Africa initiative, launched a few years ago was aimed at connecting digital ecosystems across the continent and supporting youth development.

The summit featured discussions on youth empowerment and job creation across sectors such as sports, culture, and the creative industries, with an emphasis on practical success stories.

Also, Proparco, a subsidiary of the French Development Agency dedicated to private sector financing, reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable and inclusive development in Africa.

The agency, which has operated in Africa for nearly 50 years, currently maintains six regional offices and five local branches across the continent.

Between 2022 and 2025, Proparco committed more than €4.6 billion to projects in Africa, representing over €1.1 billion annually. More than €500 million in deals were signed during the business forum.

The agreements included the Acre Export Finance Fund I for sustainable infrastructure development in Africa, as well as a partnership between Proparco and Ecobank Group to strengthen agricultural value chains and support women entrepreneurs, among others.

(NAN)