French President Emmanuel Macron has hailed his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto for successfully co-hosting the Africa Forward Summit, which ended yesterday.
Macron thanked his “dear brother William,” noting that Ruto “had to be crazy to accept this offer to co-chair and co-organise a summit like this one.”
But more than that, the French leader said Ruto not only accepted to be the co-host but, more than that, “he delivered.”
During the vote of thanks, Macron opened his remarks in Kiswahili: “Nairobi niaje? Mko poa?” He asked as he proceeded to praise Ruto for the remarkable success in co-hosting the summit.
“I want to thank my brother Ruto, because he had to be crazy to accept this offer to co-chair the Africa Forward Summit. He accepted, and more than that, he delivered,” Macron said.
The French leader also thanked Kenyans for their hospitality, saying it made “all of us feel at home here,” while recognising artists, entrepreneurs and sportspeople as some of the groups that made the event memorable.
“I want to thank the President of Kenya, his government, the team, all the organisation and the French teams, because together you clearly built something unique in this Africa Forward Summit,” he said.
President Ruto, while welcoming his “friend” Macron to the stage, described him as a great friend of the country who is welcome to visit at any time.
“We are very proud to be part of this event, Emmanuel. Thanks very much for paying us a visit. You are welcome to Kenya anytime. You have demonstrated that you are our friend,” he said.
During the summit held on Monday and Tuesday, the leaders endorsed a declaration titled “Africa Forward: Africa-France Partnership for Growth and Innovation,” which serves as a comprehensive framework to transform relations into action-oriented collaboration grounded in mutual respect, shared responsibility and co-development.
The document affirms the principles and objectives of the African Union Constitutive Act, which underscore the promotion of unity, peace, security, good governance, open and democratic elections, and cooperation among member states.
It also calls for support for African-led solutions to peace and security through the African Union’s Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2719, aimed at enhancing partnership between the United Nations and the African Union, including planning and decision-making processes, and predictable and sustainable financing of AU-led operations
