Nairobi, May 10 -- France is seeking to reset its relationship with Africa through Kenya and the wider Anglophone African bloc, signalling a shift away from the military- and aid-driven approach that defined its engagement with Francophone Africa.

Paris has indicated it is now pursuing a strategy centred on investment, technology, education and private-sector partnerships as it seeks to rebuild influence across the continent.

The shift takes centre stage on Monday when Kenya and France co-host the inaugural Africa Summit in Nairobi, bringing together about 30 heads of state and government, alongside more than 1,500 business leaders, investors, entrepreneurs and financiers from Africa and France.

Both Nairobi and Paris have billed the s...