Why Nairobi has become the centre of global dialogue
Opinion
By
Korir Sing'Oei
| Jun 21, 2026
President William Ruto and French President Emmanuel Macron during the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi. [File, Standard]
Last month, more than 30 African Heads of State and Government gathered in Nairobi alongside investors, entrepreneurs, development institutions and representatives of the French private sector. The significance of the gathering was not the event itself. It was what it revealed about where influence is shifting in a changing world.
The ability to convene has become one of the most important currencies in contemporary international affairs.
Military power and economic size remain important. Yet increasingly, influence is measured by a country’s capability to bring diverse actors together around shared interests, build coalitions and create pathways for cooperation. Countries that can build bridges are becoming more valuable than ever.
This helps explain why Nairobi’s importance has grown steadily over the past decade. The city has become a site of convergence for diplomacy, finance, innovation, climate action and multilateral engagement. Nairobi has established itself as one of Africa’s most important centres for international dialogue.
READ MORE
Africa trade gap persists despite AfCFTA push to rev up markets
Middle East conflict deal: Why economics, not US or Iran, won
Kenya to host global military AI Summit, a first for Africa
Falling crude oil prices raise hope of relief at the pump
Why US has beaten China to clinch Kenya's Sh9.7tr minerals deal
From financing to procurement: Who is fooling whom in JKIA expansion deal?
Informed consumer is key to dealing with fake motor insurance certificates
Africa's venture capital shift is quiet, but transformative
State to fight fakes with digital product authentication mark
Its significance, however, goes beyond infrastructure or geography. Nairobi increasingly represents something often in short supply in global affairs: trust. It is a place where governments, investors, development partners, innovators, and civil society can come together to address shared challenges and identify common opportunities.
That role matters because the defining challenges of our time requires unprecedented collective action.
Whether the issue is artificial intelligence, food security, climate adaptation, energy transition, health resilience or economic growth, the solutions demand broader cooperation and stronger partnerships. No country, regardless of size or wealth, can navigate these challenges alone.
Africa sits at the centre of many of these conversations. The continent is home to the world’s youngest population. It possesses resources critical to the global energy transition. Its cities are among the fastest growing in the world. Its entrepreneurs are developing solutions in finance, agriculture, healthcare and technology. Its markets are becoming increasingly important to global growth.
Yet for too long, conversations about Africa have often been framed elsewhere. That dynamic is changing. Africa is moving from the margins of global conversations to the centre of them. It is no longer simply seeking inclusion in agendas designed elsewhere. Increasingly, it is helping shape those agendas. The Africa Forward gathering in Nairobi reflected that reality.
The old language of dependency is gradually giving way to a new language of partnership. Increasingly, the conversation is about co-investment rather than assistance, mutual benefit rather than one-sided hierarchical relations and long term opportunity rather than short term intervention.
The real significance of Nairobi therefore lies not in what happened during two days in May. It lies in what those two days suggest about the future.
As the international system becomes more complex, countries that can bridge divides, build trust and convene diverse interests will play an increasingly important role.
Kenya has steadily positioned itself as one of those countries. The question is no longer whether Africa deserves a seat at the table. The more important question is who is helping shape the agenda. Increasingly, Africa is.
— The writer is the Principal Secretary, State Department for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs