Macron declares end of France’s “Pré Carré” in Africa

French President Emmanuel Macron joined more than 30 African heads of state in Kenya on Monday for the launch of the Africa Forward Summit, an event focused on expanding France’s economic and political ties across the continent while pursuing new investment opportunities.

The gathering marks the first time France has hosted such a summit in an English-speaking African country since the initiative began in the 1970s. It comes at a time when Paris is seeking to rebuild its influence after facing growing resistance in several former West African colonies.

The summit began at the University of Nairobi with a business forum attended by Macron and Kenyan President William Ruto. Alongside African presidents, deputy presidents, and prime ministers, the event also drew executives from major French companies, including TotalEnergies and Orange, as well as Nigerian billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote. During his state visit on Sunday, Macron revealed that French shipping company CMA CGM plans to invest 700 million euros in upgrading facilities at the Port of Mombasa in Kenya.

Macron stated that the era of France’s traditional “pré carré,” or exclusive sphere of influence in Africa, has definitively come to an end. Macron said France’s policy toward Africa has entered a new phase based on “balanced partnership” and mutual respect, moving away from historical guardianship and direct political intervention in African affairs.

He stressed that France now aims to position itself as a strategic partner in areas such as technology, energy, infrastructure, and climate cooperation.

Macron’s remarks come amid ongoing efforts by Paris to redefine its role on the continent, particularly as its traditional influence in several West African countries has weakened in favor of other international and regional powers. The French president emphasized that choosing Kenya, an English-speaking country that was never part of France’s former colonial empire, as the venue for these statements carried strong symbolic significance. According to Macron, this reflects France’s intention to engage with Africa as a whole on the basis of shared economic interests rather than historical colonial or linguistic ties.

On the economic front, Macron called on French companies to invest in Africa through “joint venture” models that promote local job creation and the transfer of technical expertise, instead of relying on the old extractive, export-driven approach. He also noted that France no longer views Africa solely through a security lens, but increasingly as a young and dynamic continent with significant potential for global growth and innovation. This, he said, requires a shift in French diplomatic thinking toward a more humble approach that listens more closely to the aspirations of African societies, particularly young people, entrepreneurs, and innovators.

On the sidelines, Nairobi and Paris signed 11 cooperation agreements aimed at expanding ties between Kenya and France across sectors such as transport, energy, technology, agriculture, health, and education. The deals include plans to modernise Nairobi’s commuter rail network, develop logistics and port infrastructure, promote Kenyan purple tea in French markets, expand renewable energy projects, and strengthen collaboration in digital innovation, healthcare, and nuclear energy.

These latest scores of agreements follow a defence pact between France and Kenya, under which the two countries signed a renewable five-year defence cooperation agreement after the deployment of 800 French troops to Mombasa for joint exercises with the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).

According to reports, the agreement covers cooperation in maritime security, intelligence sharing, peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, and disaster response. France has also stationed 600 military personnel in Kenya to train KDF officers.

However, the agreement has drawn criticism for granting French troops diplomatic-style immunity, allowing legal disputes involving French personnel to bypass Kenyan courts and giving France primary jurisdiction over offences committed by its soldiers in Kenya. Critics argue that the deal disproportionately benefits France by expanding its strategic influence in the Western Indian Ocean.

The latest remarks from Macron, who has previously made controversial statements, drew mixed reactions across the continent. Some African analysts viewed them as a belated acknowledgment of a new geopolitical reality that compels France to abandon its traditional dominance if it wishes to remain competitive in Africa. Others, however, expressed skepticism about Paris’s willingness and ability to translate this rhetoric into concrete policy changes, particularly regarding monetary arrangements and France’s remaining military presence in parts of the continent, issues that continue to fuel sensitivities surrounding the French role in Africa.

From a broader perspective, Macron’s visit to Kenya and his declaration on the end of France’s “pré carré” reflect a broader French effort to diversify its African partnerships beyond the traditional Francophone sphere, which has been undergoing major political transformations in recent years. Amid intensifying global competition in Africa, Paris appears to be promoting a new model of cooperation aimed at moving beyond the legacy of the past while preserving its strategic foothold on a continent increasingly viewed as central to the emerging international order.