The Africa-France Summit 2026, expected to be held at the Bomas of Kenya, will be relocated due to the renovation delays at the Bomas of Kenya.
The two-day Innovation and Growth Summit is scheduled from May 11 to 12 this year.
On Wednesday, April 22, members of the National Assembly Committee on Tourism and Wildlife were informed during an inspection tour of the facility that the event venue was under renovation and would not meet the scheduled deadline.
Tourism Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa explained to the Vice-Chairperson, Rashid Bedzimba, and the Committee that the completion of the facelift will take longer than expected.
During the inspection, the Committee expressed satisfaction with the progress despite the expected delays.
“The Committee is satisfied that there is value for money in the project which is aimed at transforming Bomas into a world-class facility,” Rashid Bedzimba said.
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Bomas of Kenya Renovations
Renovations at the Bomas of Kenya followed the government’s plan on upgrading the venue into the Bomas International Convention Center (BICC), which the lawmakers were in full support of.
Voi Member of Parliament Khamis Chome noted that, as the BICC is actively under construction, the venue will be unavailable.
Additionally, Khamis affirmed that the relocation of the venue for the Africa-France Summit would ensure that the multi-billion-dollar renovation project is implemented without pressure.
On the other hand, Taib Abubakar stated that the renovation project is expected to generate employment opportunities for the Kenyan youths upon completion.
According to the Tourism Principal Secretary, John Ololtuaa, the redevelopment of the Bomas of Kenya is a landmark initiative that will boost Kenya’s tourism and conference-hosting capacity.
He added that BICC will position Kenya as a premier destination for both high-level national and international events.
The project is receiving consistent support from the National Assembly Committee on Tourism and Wildlife, according to Ololtuaa.
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Africa-France Summit 2026
The Africa-France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth Summit will be the first summit co-hosted by Kenya and France and held outside France or a Francophone African country since 1973, when all other summits were hosted in France or in Francophone African countries.
The decision to co-host was announced in September 2024/2025 by Kenyan President William Ruto and President Emmanuel Macron of France during the UN General Assembly in New York.
Prior initiatives like the 2021 Financing of the African Economic Summit held in Paris, the New Global Financing Pact in 2023, the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi in 2023, and the EU-AU Summit in 2025 held in Luanda contributed to the Africa-France Summit 2026.
The summit will address development finances, global issues, youth employment, and stability.
