Paris pitches a €23 billion investment ‘jolt’ to win over countries like Kenya after losing ground in the Sahel
3-MIN READ3-MINJevans NyabiagePublished: 2:00pm, 23 May 2026France has committed €23 billion (US$26.7 billion) to Africa’s private sector in a bid to counter Chinese dominance and rebuild its influence on the continent.
The move marks a major shift as Paris tries to win over anglophone countries such as Kenya after losing ground in the Sahel, where coups and anti-French sentiment have seen Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger cut ties in favour of Beijing and Moscow.
By co-hosting the summit with Kenya, Macron bypassed the historical baggage of “Françafrique” and challenged what he described as China’s “predatory logic”.
Analysts said Beijing’s deep roots in infrastructure and focus on development needs had already changed the continent’s external power balance.
Sanusha Naidu, a senior research associate at the Institute for Global Dialogue in Cape Town, described the summit as a form of “strategic hedging” and said it marked a symbolic shift.
