Sciences Po invited to the 2026 Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya

Sciences Po was one of a few French universities invited to Nairobi on 11 and 12 May 2026 for the summit “Africa Forward: Africa–France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth”, organised by France and Kenya. Co-chaired by Emmanuel Macron and William Rutto, the summit aimed to accelerate cross-border investment to address shared challenges in the fields of health, food security, digital competitiveness, access to energy and connectivity, whilst contributing to fairer and more inclusive governance.

Sciences Po shows up in Nairobi

Our university, our students, and our alumni attended the Africa Forward summit to take part in discussions focusing on youth training and employment, as well as on economic development, heritage, and the cultural and creative industries.

The Sciences Po team took part in the Innovation and Social Creation Pavilion led by Professor Achille Mbembé, as well as in the presidential session on Youth. Our delegation comprised Sciences Po’s representative for East Africa, Cynthia Isimbi, Sciences Po’s representative for West Africa, Kamina Diallo, the Director of the Centre for Asia, Pacific, Africa, and Middle East at the International Affairs Office, Étienne Cazin, the International Affairs Manager for Sub-saharan Africa, Alice Judell, the Director of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Sciences Po, Valeria Morera, and the Head of Africa for Sciences Po’s Executive Education, Coralie Lolliot.

It was the perfect opportunity to bring together Sciences Po alumni in Nairobi, some of whom played an active role in the summit’s activities. Six Sciences Po students and alumni were on stage with Presidents Rutto and Macron on 11 May. In addition, numerous alumni took part in the summit, notably Eliakim Ebine for the French Africa Foundation, Sheila Chepshoek for Enko Education, and Vivian Onano, who opened the Heads of State & Government Plenary on 12 May.

As part of the BPI France forum, Kamina Diallo, Sciences Po’s representative in Dakar, was interviewed about Sciences Po’s strategy in Africa and the B.E.A.T. project with Covenant University in Nigeria, which focuses on the cultural and creative industries.

Here are a few photos of these inspiring moments:

Sciences Po and Africa: an ongoing partnership

As a leading French and European university, our institution is committed to its presence in Africa, where it has two permanent representative offices: the first in Nairobi, Kenya, and the second, opened in November 2024, in Dakar, Senegal. These branches drive our cooperation in the region: promoting Sciences Po in the best secondary schools and universities, supporting our exchange students, building relationships with private sector partners and government bodies in the country, fundraising, maintaining ties with our alumni, and more.

Our unique collaboration with African higher education institutions enable us to be the French university that sends the most students to Africa each year to complete part of their studies. We have established 34 partnerships with African universities, including the University of Cape Town in South Africa, Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) in Senegal, Ashesi University in Ghana, and Strathmore University in Kenya.

Sciences Po is also the only university in continental Europe to have a scholarship programme with the Mastercard Foundation. The year 2026 is particularly significant in this regard, with a 50% increase in applications and a 153% rise in the number of candidates admitted to Sciences Po who are eligible for the scholarship. The final cohort comprises 50 candidates, representing 16 different African nationalities.

Other strategic projects bear witness to this strong bond, such as the Africa Programme, which brings together all initiatives related to the continent at Sciences Po.