France, May 27 -- On the second floor of the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, far from the cameras and presidential motorcades, the cafe stayed unusually busy long after lunch had ended. Young founders sat next to diplomats. Investors leaned across small tables, writing numbers on napkins. Translators moved easily between French and English. Every few minutes, another handshake began with the same question: "So what can France offer Africa now?"

It was the question that ran beneath almost everything at the two-day gathering, co-hosted by France and Kenya. Whether it produced a satisfactory answer is less certain.

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A relationship under pressure

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