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What Presidents Macron and Ruto discussed in their latest meeting

By Jeune Afrique

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Posted on January 25, 2023 10:04

 © French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with Kenya’s President William Ruto, prior to a meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, on January 24, 2023. (Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with Kenya’s President William Ruto, prior to a meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, on January 24, 2023. (Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP)

Kenya’s President William Ruto met with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on 24 January at the Elysée Palace. Here’s what the two heads of state discussed.

During a two-hour lunch, Ruto and Macron – accompanied by the deputy chief of staff, the ambassador in Paris, the former’s Europe director at the ministry of foreign affairs, the foreign affairs minister Catherine Colonna, the new ambassador in Nairobi and the latter’s Africa advisor Franck Paris – discussed mostly economic issues.

Overall, Ruto expressed his desire to see France become more involved, via its flagship companies, in several areas, including agriculture and fertiliser production. Kenya wants to develop a local production sector to ensure its sovereignty in this area.

Projects up for discussion

Nairobi has been hit particularly hard by drought, and is hoping Paris will help it build new dams, with help from companies like Sogea and Vinci, among others.

The two leaders also took stock of the projects mentioned during Macron’s visit to Kenya in 2019, when Ruto was

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