Allocution de Jean-Noël Barrot, ministre de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères, en ouverture du Sommet Africa Forward

[Introductory remarks bv Mr. Musalia Mudavadi, Prime Cabinet Secretary of Kenya]

And I thank you very much, Prime Cabinet Secretary, for hosting us today in this university, in this library, actually. Big round of applause for my friend Musalia. [Applause] Louder, louder.

I also want to thank BPI France, Business France, Proparco, AFD and the French African Foundation that have turned this place upside down. Big round of applause for them. [Applause]

And I want to say, dear Minister, dear Musalia, how important this day is. It's an important day. It's a great day for Kenya and France. It's a great day for Africa and France. And it's a great day for you and for us. It's a great day for Kenya and France. We have a very strong relationship. There are a lot of things that we share together. We share a commitment to democracy, to the planet, to peace and prosperity. We both drink French wine and Kenyan tea. [Laughters] And we both rock at Rugby 7. But today, we're taking our relationship to a completely different level. Together with our two presidents, we have signed contracts worth more than $1 billion yesterday. Together, we are organizing the largest ever business forum on this continent, dear Musalia, we will be more than 8,000 today coming from 40 different African countries. And together, we want to build a common future. 

It is also a great day for Africa and France. The bonds between France and the continent have no equivalent. They are rooted in the heart of people. They are rooted in the heart of the millions of French citizens that have African connection and in our very vibrant diasporas that are cultivating these links. But over the past ten years, under the impulse of President Macron, we have completely reshaped this relationship between France and its African partners, transforming it into a mutually beneficial partnership with shared responsibility. We've created new bonds, we've broadened the horizons in many different sectors, green tech, AI, health, culture, industry. And we've developed more partnerships with Benin, with Mauritius, with Nigeria, with Angola and with Kenya. And a lot of you in the room have benefited directly or indirectly from these new co-operations that France has built with the continent. 

And what we're doing now is to accelerate. Why? Because we believe in Africa, not as the continent of the future, but as the continent of the present, setting the pace of the global culture and being the driving force of the global economy. And France is here to accelerate the tempo because we know that Africa has all it takes to thrive in the 21st century. The best ideas will come from the continent. The best startups will grow on this continent. The best innovations will be invented on this continent. The best stories will be written on this continent. And France is here to help make this happen. 

And finally, this is a great day for you and for us. Think about what you are telling yourself this morning coming in: “I want to be rich. I want to be famous.” [Music playing] “No place I'd rather be”. No place I'd rather be but Nairobi. And we're very happy to be here dancing on Kenyan music. 

And why is there no place we'd rather be than Nairobi? Because this is a gathering of talent, ambition and vision. If you are here, it is because you are the most talented people on the continent. Whatever is your field, whether it's entrepreneurship, whether you're an artist, whether you're a sportsman or woman, you're here because you have a huge talent. You're here because you have ambition. And your ambition has no limit. Sky is the limit. And you're here because you have a vision. You have a vision for yourself. You have a vision for your company. You have a vision for your country and you have a vision for the continent. And this vision holds in two words, remember them: Africa forward. So, repeat after me. Africa [crowd says “forward”]. Louder. Africa [crowd says “forward”], once more, Africa [crowd says “forward”]. 

Thank you very much.