The Head of State held talks with his Kenyan counterpart in Nairobi

On the sidelines of the Africa Forward Summit, the President of the Republic, H.E. Alassane Ouattara, met on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at the Presidential Palace in Nairobi, with his Kenyan counterpart, H.E. William Ruto.

The Head of State thanked the Kenyan President for inviting him to this Summit, which emphasizes inclusion and the strengthening of partnerships essential for the development of African countries.

President Alassane Ouattara highlighted the need to create stronger cooperation mechanisms among African regions to increase trade volumes and the level of their Gross National Products.

The Head of State also congratulated his Kenyan counterpart for his efforts toward the development of his country, as well as for the opening of a Kenyan Embassy in Abidjan, aimed at strengthening friendship and cooperation between Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya. In this regard, he announced the upcoming opening of a Côte d’Ivoire Embassy in Kenya.

Finally, President Alassane Ouattara called for peace, security, and stability issues on the African continent to be included on the agenda of the Africa Forward Summit.

For his part, the President of the Republic of Kenya, H.E. William Ruto, emphasized the importance of this Summit, a major political gathering to make Africa’s voice heard on issues such as resource mobilization, the need to reform the international financial architecture, the continent’s industrialization, artificial intelligence, the blue economy, and health in a geopolitical context marked by the crisis of multilateralism.

According to President Ruto, African states’ efforts to increase domestic resource mobilization should be coupled with the need for sustainable financing mechanisms to ensure the continent’s development.

Regarding bilateral cooperation with Côte d’Ivoire, the President of Kenya welcomed the ongoing finalization of the Framework Agreement of Cooperation between the two countries, aimed at strengthening economic and trade relations.

In the afternoon, President Alassane Ouattara also met with Presidents Duma Gideon Boko of Botswana, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema of Gabon, and Joseph Nyuma Boakai of Liberia to discuss strengthening cooperation between their countries and Côte d’Ivoire, as well as the challenges of the Africa Forward Summit.