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
There's more to this story
Get unlimited access to our exclusive journalism and features today. Our award-winning team of correspondents and editors report from over 54 African countries, from Cape Town to Cairo, from Abidjan to Abuja to Addis Ababa. Africa. Unlocked.
cancel anytime
Already a a subscriber Sign In
