As the 2026 Africa-France summit approaches, diplomatic positioning between Cameroon and France is becoming clearer. On April 13, Cameroon’s minister of external relations, Lejeune Mbella Mbella, met with French Ambassador Sylvain Riquier to review bilateral ties and prepare for the “Africa Forward” summit, scheduled for May 11–12 in Nairobi, Kenya.
This year’s summit signals a shift. For the first time, the gathering will take place in an English-speaking country, breaking with a long-standing Francophone tradition. Co-hosted by France and Kenya, the event aims to redefine Africa–France relations around current priorities, including digital transformation, industrialization, agriculture, health, and energy transition.
For Cameroon, which maintains longstanding political and economic ties with Paris, the summit offers a platform to advance its strategic interests. President Paul Biya, a regular participant, typically uses the forum to push issues such as development financing, regional stability, and security cooperation.
Economically, the relationship remains substantial, though recent data points to some shifts. In 2024, France ranked as Cameroon’s fifth-largest export market, accounting for 5.7% of total exports, a decline from previous years. On the import side, France also slipped to fourth place. Trade continues to center on key goods such as pharmaceuticals, wheat, fuel, and malt, according to the National Institute of Statistics.
Beyond trade, France’s economic presence remains significant. More than 200 French companies operate in Cameroon, supporting around 20,000 direct jobs and contributing to major infrastructure projects, including the Nachtigal hydroelectric dam. This underscores the depth of economic ties between the two countries.
But the relationship is also evolving politically. The 2021 Montpellier summit marked a turning point by excluding African heads of state in favor of civil society, prompting Cameroon to establish a follow-up mechanism in 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Yaoundé later that year reopened dialogue on sensitive historical issues, including France’s role during Cameroon’s independence struggle, with a joint commission of historians tasked with examining the period from 1945 to 1971.
Discussions have also expanded to include security in the Gulf of Guinea and efforts to strengthen African sovereignty.
The Nairobi summit is expected to build on these developments. In a shifting global landscape, “Africa Forward” is emerging as a platform to reshape the partnership toward a more balanced, forward-looking model focused on innovation and development challenges. For both Yaoundé and Paris, the goal is to turn a long-standing relationship into a more practical engine for economic and social progress.
Patricia Ngo Ngouem