France's Macron defends Europe role in Africa as he seeks reset in Nairobi

French President Emmanuel Macron used a two‑day economic summit in Nairobi, Kenya, to defend Europe’s engagement in Africa, drawing a sharp contrast with China’s approach and urging African leaders to take greater responsibility for governance challenges.

In an interview with Jeune Afrique and The Africa Report, Macron said he had “strongly condemned colonialism” upon taking office in 2017, but argued that Africa’s current difficulties cannot be attributed solely to its colonial past.

“We must not exonerate from all responsibility the seven decades that followed independence,” he said, calling for stronger governance across the continent.

Macron insisted that Europe is not “the predator of this century,” defending its commitment to multilateralism, the rule of law and open trade.

By contrast, he accused China of operating with a “predatory logic” on critical minerals, processing resources at home and creating global dependencies.

A push for financial reform and renewed partnership

Macron said Europe’s goal is to promote “a strategy of autonomy” for both continents, with a major overhaul of international finance at the centre of Africa’s economic transformation.

He called for new global financial guarantees to unlock private investment — a long‑standing demand of African governments.

The Nairobi summit is part of Macron’s broader effort to rebuild trust after years of strained relations with former French colonies in West Africa.

France’s Sahel exit and the future of regional governance

France withdrew its troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger after military juntas seized power between 2020 and 2023.

Macron said Paris had respected the decisions of those governments: “When our presence was no longer wanted after the coups, we left.

That wasn’t a humiliation but a logical response.”

He maintained that France’s military deployments in the Sahel had been at the request of local governments to counter jihadist groups.

Looking ahead, Macron predicted a political reset in the region: “A new era is about to start. The Sahel will one day regain normal governance,” he said, with democratically elected leaders who “genuinely care about their people.”