French Week 2024: Strengthening Ties Between France and Kenya

The second edition of French Week has come to a close, leaving behind a trail of inspiring discussions, dynamic partnerships, and the deepening of economic relations between France and Kenya. This second edition has grown immensely with over 600 participants and 80 expert speakers. Over three action-packed days, key players from both countries came together to explore avenues for investment in energy, agribusiness, Kenya's business environment, and infrastructure development. Here's a recap of the key highlights from all three days of this wholesome event:

Day 1 | Energy: Renewable Energy, Power Grids, Energy Transition, Decarbonization, Financing Models.

French Week 2024 kicked off with a warm welcome from the French Chamber of Commerce Kenya and our hosts Novotel Nairobi Westlands , setting the stage for an impactful week. The day focused on innovative pathways for a cleaner, greener future.

Keynote Speakers and Opening Remarks: Othmane CHAOUI , Chairman of FCCK, and Laure Paugam , Executive Director at the FCCK stressed the importance of French-Kenyan collaboration and the potential for growth in key sectors.

H.E. Arnaud Suquet, Ambassador of France to Kenya opened the 2nd edition of the French Week, highlighting key projects France has supported in Kenya's energy sector. He outlined the role of the EU-Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) in fostering stronger ties. Our Chief Guest, Hon. Salim Mgala Mvurya, E. G. H, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Investments,Trade and Industry , inaugurated the event, focusing on Kenya's commitment to green energy , the EPA partnership with the EU and investment in sustainable industries. Hon. Alex Kamau Wachira, PS, State Department for Energy, also addressed the renewable energy potential within Kenya .

Roundtable Discussions: Day 1 saw impactful roundtable discussions. The first, on developing renewable energy production capacity, brought together leaders from KenGen Kenya , Electricity Sector Association of Kenya (ESAK) , Agence française de développement in Eastern Africa , EDF , Voltalia , and Service Économique Régional de Nairobi to discuss Kenya's renewable energy transition focused on achieving the 100% renewable energy target by 2030, emphasizing innovative solar and storage solutions and the critical role of private-sector involvement.

The second roundtable on strengthening electrical grid capacities delved into energy transmission and digitization, addressing grid stability, digitization and the importance of building local engineering capacities to strengthen the energy sector with Cobra África , Schneider Electric , GE Vernova , Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO) and The World Bank .

We also had a session on advancing green industrialization which highlighted sustainable practices across industries, including reducing emissions, developing innovative green products and fostering collaboration to drive policy development for a cleaner future. This session featured experts from HYDROGENE DE FRANCE , PwC , RUBiS Energy Kenya , Bamburi Cement PLC , Mirova SunFunder , and Proparco .

The afternoon session explored opportunities and challenges in financing East Africa's energy transition, emphasizing Kenya's potential as a leader in sustainable energy. Key topics included investment opportunities in synthetic fuels, solar energy, and waste-to-energy solutions, all aimed at supporting clean energy transition.

This session reinforced the importance of strategic partnerships to propel Kenya's green energy future and unlock it's vast potential. We had expert speakers from Proparco , Gaia Impact , Meridiam , Norfund , Sunna Design and Bowmans (Law Firm) closing the energy day discussions.

Day 2 | Agribusiness: Food Security, Sustainable Value Chains, Export Opportunities.

This day brought together key players from Kenya and France to explore opportunities in agribusiness and food security. The sessions showcased the importance of innovation, collaboration, and sustainable practices in transforming Africa's agricultural sector.

Guest speaker Mr. Maurice Ouma, Deputy Director of the Directorate of Livestock Production, highlighted innovative approaches to livestock farming as a vital pathway to enhanced productivity and food security. His address reinforced the importance of collaboration and innovation in addressing Africa’s agricultural challenges.

The morning started with a presentation from the French Embassy highlighting France’s leadership in agriculture within the European Union. This was followed by a deep dive into Kenya’s dairy industry led by Brookside Dairy , Kenya Dairy Board Kenya Dairy Board , Quickmart Kenya , Agriculture Sector Network (ASNET) , moderated by bioMérieux .

Ipsos presented a regional Agribusiness Outlook, while insights on developing local value chains came from Njoro Canning Factory Ltd , Carrefour , Equity Group Foundation International , IFC - International Finance Corporation , Kigali Farms , and FAO . The French Embassy in Kenya provided an overview of financial tools available for agricultural investments, concluding with a case study on Project Ecostim by Eléphant Vert East Africa /Kenya Biologics Ltd. and Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) .

The afternoon shifted to the Farm'Innov Connection Event, a workshop series emphasizing supply chain innovation. Valorial, cluster d'innovation agri-agro , Agence française de développement in Eastern Africa , Tenderzville Portal (K) Limited , and Agricultural Finance Corporation led discussions on supply chain practices. Part two of the event spotlighted agribusiness financing, with contributions from the Prince de Bretagne - Cerafel , Naivas Supermarket and Equity Group Foundation International .These discussions called for collaborative solutions to create an enabling environment for agribusiness stakeholders.

The day concluded with a shared vision of strengthening agribusiness partnerships to secure a sustainable future for food systems in Africa.

Day 3 | Business Environment & Infrastructure: Business Opportunities, Bilateral Trade, Capacity Building, Infrastructure Gap.

The final day of French Week 2024 brought all the conversations together, focusing on building stronger economic bridges between France and Kenya, with particular attention to investment and infrastructure.

Opening Remarks: FCCK’s Executive Director, Laure Paugam , kicked off the day by thanking all the partners and highlighting the importance of partnerships in driving sustainable growth. Othmane CHAOUI , Chairman of FCCK, reinforced the idea of creating a prosperous ecosystem through the EU-Kenya EPA and shared his enthusiasm for the increasing trade potential between Kenya and Mayotte.

Keynote and Guest Remarks: The final day also featured another inspiring keynote by Alfred Ombudo K'Ombudo, CBS , Principal Secretary, State Department for Trade, who once again underscored the critical role of the EU-Kenya EPA in advancing sustainable trade and economic growth.

French Business Delegation Pitching Session: The final day’s pitching session was a highlight, with companies such as CODRA , Miles Consulting & Audit , Motilde , Sunna Design , PROMÉTHÉE Earth Intelligence , FAO , ASI INNOVATION and MATIERE , showcasing their innovative technologies and solutions, ranging from renewable energy to smart infrastructure. These companies presented compelling opportunities for collaboration with Kenyan businesses, reinforcing the message of innovation and shared growth.

Roundtable Discussions: The day featured roundtables with a focus on strengthening French-Kenyan relations, with expert speakers from Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) , Kenya Investment Authority (KenInvest) , Bpifrance , Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and an investor's discussion which offered a deep-dive into the investment climate in Kenya and East Africa with investor perspectives from Bpifrance , Amethis , Standard Chartered , New Forests , Nairobi Securities Exchange PLC , FourFront Management and Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Inc .

The bridging the infrastructure gaps roundtable closed the week with a focused discussion on the opportunities future of infrastructure development in East Africa. Speakers from the National Treasury Kenya , Africa Global Logistics , MATIERE , Seureca , EDF , Bureau Veritas Group , Societe Generale Corporate and Investment Banking - SGCIB and ALN Kenya | Anjarwalla & Khanna offered solutions for improving infrastructure across the region, emphasizing the need for innovative financing and international collaboration to tackle regional challenges.

Key Takeaways from French Week 2024

French Week 2024 succeeded in fostering meaningful connections between the French-Kenyan ecosystem. From the high-energy pitching sessions to the deep-dive roundtables, the event proved to be a valuable platform for discussing the future of trade, investment, and infrastructure in East Africa. The collaborative spirit and shared commitment to growth were evident in every session.

Acknowledgements

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our esteemed institutional partners from the French Embassy in Kenya, Service Économique Régional de Nairobi , Bpifrance , Business France , Club EnR Ville Durable Afrique de l'Est et l'Ocean Indien, and Farm'Innov for championing the success of the second edition of French Week.

Our sincere appreciation also goes out to our Platinum partners Africa Global Logistics , TotalEnergies , Forvis Mazars in Kenya , EDF , RUBiS Energy Kenya , and Novotel Nairobi Westlands .

A special thanks to our Silver partners IBL Together , Agence française de développement in Eastern Africa , Proparco , Kipeto Energy PLC , CFAO Mobility Kenya , Lifecare International , Egis and Caetano Kenya . Your unwavering support made French Week 2024 a resounding success.

A special thank you goes to our keynote speakers, panelists, and delegates who contributed their time, knowledge, and insights to make this week truly impactful. Your participation has helped shape a future where Kenya and France continue to grow together in mutual prosperity.

We look forward to building on the momentum created at French Week 2024 and to future opportunities for collaboration!

See you next year!

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