Macron, Ruto seal pact on digital skills and youth empowerment
National
By
Mike Kihaki
| May 12, 2026
President William Ruto and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. [PCS]
Students and young people across Kenya and Africa are set to benefit from a strengthened Kenya–France partnership aimed at boosting education, innovation and youth empowerment, with a strong focus on preparing the continent’s workforce for the digital economy.
The renewed cooperation took centre stage during the “Africa Forward: Future Makers” session at the University of Nairobi, where President William Ruto and French President Emmanuel Macron engaged hundreds of students, innovators, entrepreneurs and creatives attending the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi.
The discussions highlighted a shared commitment to improving education outcomes, expanding technical and scientific training, strengthening innovation ecosystems and creating jobs for Africa’s rapidly growing youth population.
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A key milestone was the inauguration of a new Engineering and Science Complex at the University of Nairobi, developed under Kenya–France cooperation and described as a transformative investment in Africa’s future workforce.
President Macron said Africa and Europe must move away from traditional aid-based relations and instead build equal partnerships anchored on investment, education and technological development. “Africa is succeeding. It is the youngest continent in the world and has the highest growth in the world. All that Africa needs is investment to be more sovereign, and we want to be partners on an equal level,” Macron said.
He added that future cooperation will focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, artificial intelligence, digital skills and innovation-driven training programmes for young people. “We have to train more people through investment in STEM and AI capacities, partnerships with the best universities, and educate more talent to ensure young people are trained here and help develop the continent,” he said.
Macron stressed that Africa and Europe must work together towards technological sovereignty, particularly in artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and energy systems. “We have a common battle. Many technological solutions today are made in the USA or China, and many of us remain consumers. We need to invest together so that Africa and Europe can build strategic autonomy,” he said.
He announced that France, in partnership with the private sector, will support the establishment of 50 digital centres across Africa, targeting training for one million young people by 2030 under the “Digital Africa” programme.
The initiative is expected to strengthen collaboration between African and French universities through exchange programmes, joint research and technology transfer, while expanding investment in computing infrastructure and energy systems to support digital transformation.
President Ruto said Kenya is already undertaking major reforms in education to align learning with the modern economy, particularly in science, technology and innovation. “For us to be future-ready, infrastructure and knowledge are critical. We reviewed our education system to make it competency-based because education was previously about cramming and theory only,” Ruto said.
He noted that Kenya has shifted towards experiential learning, with about 60 per cent of education content now focused on STEM subjects. “We are investing heavily in education to ensure young people have the right skills and competencies to participate meaningfully in the digital economy,” he said.
Ruto also highlighted government investment in digital infrastructure, including the rollout of 30,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable to expand internet connectivity.