President Cyril Ramaphosa will not attend the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi on 11 and 12 May 2026, with the presidency citing scheduling constraints following a diplomatic fallout linked to the G7.
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said on Sunday that Ramaphosa’s annual programme had already been finalised before the invitation to the summit, convened by French President Emmanuel Macron, was received.
“The President’s diary could not accommodate the summit,” Magwenya said, pointing to preparations ahead of South Africa’s local government elections later this year.
Ramaphosa’s absence follows a diplomatic setback in which he was dropped from the guest list of the G7 summit scheduled for 15 to 17 June in Évian-les-Bains, France. The invitation was instead extended to Kenyan President William Ruto.
Macron had initially invited Ramaphosa during the G20 leaders’ summit held in Johannesburg in November 2025. According to the Presidency, the reversal came after the United States signalled it would not participate in the G7 if Ramaphosa attended.
Washington has denied exerting pressure, while Paris has rejected claims it yielded to external influence. However, the sequence of events has strained diplomatic relations, with officials in Pretoria expressing concern over how South Africa has been treated.
Senior diplomats have also raised broader frustrations about how European powers engage African states, often convening large summits on short notice and treating the continent as a single bloc.
The Africa Forward Summit, announced by the Élysée Palace in March, is intended to strengthen ties between France and African nations and to address shifting geopolitical dynamics. French officials have indicated that outcomes from the Nairobi meeting will inform discussions at the G7.
Magwenya said there are also no immediate plans for a proposed state visit to France in July, citing the President’s existing commitments.
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- President Cyril Ramaphosa will skip the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi on 11-12 May 2026 due to scheduling conflicts, as stated by the presidency.
- His diary is focused on preparations for South Africa’s local government elections, and the summit invitation came after his annual programme was set.
- Ramaphosa was also excluded from the upcoming G7 summit in France; the invite was given instead to Kenyan President William Ruto following US opposition to Ramaphosa’s attendance.
- France and the US deny external pressure influenced the G7 invitation change, but the incident has strained South Africa’s diplomatic relations with these nations.
- Senior diplomats criticize European powers for treating Africa as a monolith and convening summits on short notice; no immediate plans exist for Ramaphosa’s proposed July visit to France.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will not attend the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi on 11 and 12 May 2026, with the presidency citing scheduling constraints following a diplomatic fallout linked to the G7.
Presidential spokesperson Vincent
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Ramaphosa’s absence follows a diplomatic setback in which he was dropped from the guest list of the G7 summit scheduled for 15 to 17 June in Évian-les-Bains, France.
Macron had initially invited Ramaphosa during the G20 leaders’ summit held in Johannesburg in
Senior diplomats have also raised broader frustrations about how European powers engage African states, often convening large summits on short notice and treating the continent as a single bloc.
