Macron rolls out €23bn investment plan to strengthen Africa partnerships

French President Emmanuel Macron announced a €23 billion ($27 billion) investment package targeting Africa's energy, agriculture, digital technology, industry and maritime sectors at the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi. The plan includes about €14 billion from French institutions and €9 billion from African investors, and could create up to 250,000 direct jobs. Macron criticized China's role in critical mineral supply chains as a 'predatory logic' and defended France's military withdrawal from the Sahel as a response to political changes. He also stated that the return of African cultural artifacts is now 'unstoppable'.