NAIROBI, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming Africa Forward Summit 2026, which will take place in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, will prioritize unlocking investment, job creation, and Africa's role in global economic transformation, a senior Kenyan official said on Saturday.
Musalia Mudavadi, prime cabinet secretary and cabinet secretary for foreign and diaspora affairs, said Kenya expects the summit to yield practical outcomes that directly improve the lives of African citizens.
"We are determined to deliver visible, life-changing outcomes -- new jobs, thriving industries, empowered African enterprises, improved livelihoods and a brighter future for our citizens," he told journalists in Nairobi.
The summit will be held in Nairobi on May 11-12 and is expected to attract more than 30 heads of state and government, alongside over 4,000 global delegates.
Co-hosted by Kenyan President William Ruto and French President Emmanuel Macron, the event marks the first time an Africa-France partnership summit is being held in a non-Francophone country.
Mudavadi noted that while governments play a role in creating enabling environments, the private sector would be central to driving sustainable economic transformation across the continent.
"Governments can provide policy direction and enabling environments, but sustainable transformation at scale will be driven by investment, enterprise, innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship," Mudavadi said.
He said a major business forum has been lined up as part of the summit and is expected to bring together approximately 1,500 chief executives, investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators from Africa and France.
According to Mudavadi, the forum is expected to catalyze investment pipelines, commercial partnerships, financing opportunities, and technology transfer across various sectors.
"This will be the first summit of its kind to be hosted in Anglophone Africa -- a significant milestone that reflects the broadening and deepening of Africa-France engagement across the continent," he said.
He added that the summit comes at a critical time when African countries are seeking stronger partnerships capable of addressing emerging global economic and geopolitical challenges.
"For Kenya, this is not simply another summit. The Africa Forward Summit represents a defining statement about where Africa is headed, how Africa intends to engage the world, and the kind of partnerships that must shape the future of global cooperation," Mudavadi said. ■