The Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), His Excellency Mr. Elias M. Magosi, participated in the inaugural Africa Forward Summit 2026 held from 11 to 12 May 2026 in Nairobi, Republic of Kenya, under the theme “Africa-France Partnership for Innovation and Growth.”
The high-level Summit brought together African Heads of State and Government, senior government officials, development partners, captains of industry, financial institutions, innovators, youth leaders, and international organisations to deliberate on strengthening Africa-France cooperation and advancing Africa’s economic transformation agenda through innovation, trade, investment, sustainable development, and strategic partnerships.
The Summit was co-hosted by H.E. Dr. William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, and H.E. Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic. The Summit was attended by various Heads of State and Government or their Representatives from the continent, United Nations, senior officials from the African Union, development finance institutions, global investors, and representatives from the private sector and civil society.
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In his opening remarks, President Ruto emphasised the need for Africa to establish coordinated financing and investment strategies capable of unlocking the continent’s vast economic potential. He underscored the importance of mobilising African capital for African development priorities and strengthening partnerships between governments and the private sector to drive industrialisation, infrastructure development, job creation, and inclusive economic growth.
President Ruto further noted that Africa’s future must be shaped by Africans through strategic partnerships that support the continent’s aspirations for prosperity, resilience, and sustainable development. He highlighted the importance of initiatives aimed at retaining more African savings and investments within the continent to finance transformative projects and accelerate economic integration.
President Macron reaffirmed France’s commitment to supporting Africa’s agenda for peace, prosperity, sovereignty, innovation, and sustainable development. He stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between Africa and France in key sectors such as infrastructure, energy, technology, climate action, education, entrepreneurship, and digital transformation.
President Macron further highlighted that Africa should not merely remain a source of raw materials, but rather emerge as a continent driven by innovation, industrialisation, value addition, modern infrastructure, and technological advancement capable of creating opportunities for its growing population.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres underscored the importance of placing Africa at the centre of global development, peace, climate, and economic justice discussions. He called for enhanced international cooperation and equitable global partnerships to address the continent’s development challenges, including climate change, financing gaps, food insecurity, and infrastructure deficits.
During the Summit, discussions focused on a wide range of strategic issues including development financing, industrialisation, digital transformation, climate resilience, green growth, infrastructure connectivity, energy security, innovation ecosystems, youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, trade facilitation, and the role of the private sector in advancing sustainable development across the African continent.
On the margins of the Summit, the SADC Executive Secretary engaged with leaders, policymakers, development partners, business executives, and international stakeholders on matters of strategic importance to the SADC region. Discussions centred on enhancing regional integration, promoting industrialisation, attracting investment, strengthening infrastructure development, advancing renewable energy initiatives, improving trade facilitation, and accelerating implementation of regional development priorities under the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030.
Participation in the Africa Forward Summit was important for the SADC region as it provided a strategic platform to strengthen cooperation with international partners and position Southern Africa as an attractive destination for investment, trade, innovation, and sustainable economic development.
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The Summit further created opportunities for SADC to engage on key regional priorities including infrastructure financing, energy transition, climate resilience, digital innovation, industrial value chains, regional connectivity, and youth employment. These priorities remain central to SADC’s broader agenda of fostering economic growth, reducing poverty, enhancing regional competitiveness, and improving the livelihoods of citizens across the region.
The Summit also reinforced the importance of Africa speaking with a unified voice on global governance, development financing, trade, climate action, and economic transformation, while strengthening strategic partnerships that support Africa’s long-term development aspirations under Agenda 2063 and other continental and regional frameworks.
The participation of the SADC Executive Secretary at the Africa Forward Summit reaffirmed SADC’s commitment to promoting regional integration, strengthening international cooperation, and advancing inclusive and sustainable development for the people of Southern Africa.
