France is keen to renew ties with Africa and create “balanced partnerships” that will benefit the continent, despite the recent deterioration in relations, according to RFI.
The country’s Foreign Minister Stephane Séjourné on Saturday in Kenya at the start of his first visit to the continent reiterated his intention to build “balanced partnerships” despite deteriorating relations between France and some former African colonies amid growing Russian and Chinese influence.
The decision to launch Séjourné’s visit to Kenya was also meant to emphasise that France’s relations with the African continent are not limited to security issues, according to the Foreign Ministry.
“France’s vocation will be to renew and build balanced, mutually respectful partnerships with African countries, for the benefit of all countries,” the foreign minister said during a press briefing alongside his Kenyan counterpart Musalia Mudavadi.
He added: “That’s what our roadmap is all about: diversifying these partnerships and making them beneficial for the countries in which we are going to invest.”
He said Africa was a “priority” of French foreign policy because “the continent is on the way to becoming a cultural, economic and diplomatic power… that will count in the world’s balance.”
France and Kenya enjoy good diplomatic relations, with President Macron visiting Kenya in 2019 and Kenyan President William Ruto visiting Paris twice since his election in 2022.
Further, France is Kenya’s fifth largest investor and has increased its commercial presence in the East African nation over the past decade, almost tripling the number of companies operating there from 50 to 140, but a huge trade imbalance in favour of France has soured their relationship.
“The process of us addressing the trade imbalance requires consistent programmes and joint efforts like we are doing,” he said, adding that French companies have provided 34,000 direct jobs in Kenya.
The two ministers also touched on climate co-operation and called for reform of the global climate finance system to help poorer countries develop cleaner and adapt to the worsening effects of climate change.
At COP28 in December, the two countries and Barbados formed a coalition to bring together countries wanting to create an international tax to help developing countries cope with climate change.
On Sunday, Séjourné heads to Rwanda to attend the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the 1994 genocide before making a final stop in Cote d’Ivoire.
