French President Emmanuel Macron appeared alongside superstar singer Rihanna for an education summit in Senegal today.
The conference centre in Dakar erupted with cheers and whistles as the Umbrella hit-maker was announced, with Macron and the singer, from Barbados, posing arm in arm with Senegalese President Macky Sall.
Rihanna, who wore a smart power grey suit for the event with her hair scraped back, tweeted ‘merci’ to thank Macron for co-hosting the Global Partnership for Education conference as part of his two-day trip to west Africa.
French President Emmanuel Macron appeared alongside superstar singer Rihanna for an education summit in Senegal today
Rihanna, who wore a smart grey suit for the event with her hair scraped back, tweeted ‘merci’ to thank Macron after the pair posed for photos
The conference centre in Dakar erupted with cheers and whistles as the Umbrella hit-maker was announced, with Macron and Rihanna posing arm in arm with Senegalese President Macky Sall
Cheers and whistles rang out in the Dakar conference centre as the Umbrella singer was welcomed on stage
Known for her revealing onstage outfits and diva-like performances, Rihanna cut a far smarter figure at the conference, comfortable mingling with politicians and Senegalese dignitaries alike.
During the conference Macron called education ‘the only single response’ to the extremism and fundamentalism threatening the West Africa region.
He promised 200 million euros for the fund, sharply upping France’s earlier offer, and urged others to pitch in toward the 3.1 billion euro overall goal.
This is not the first time the pair have met. Macron hosted Rihanna at his presidential palace last year after she challenged him on Twitter to contribute to her efforts to fund education in developing countries, notably in conflict and crisis areas.
The singer, whose The Clara Lionel Foundation promotes education and arts globally, also urged other Western leaders, including British Prime Minister Theresa May, to contribute at Friday’s conference, as funding promises poured.
Macron, who has visited 17 countries since he was inaugurated in May, also met privately with Senegalese President Macky Sall and opened a school.
Senegalese President Macky Sall, Barbadian singer Rihanna and French President Emmanuel Macron pose a they attend the GPE Financing Conference
Macron, travelling with his wife, Brigitte, then visited French forces serving with the G5 Sahel, a five-nation regional force launched last year to counter growing extremism in West Africa.
Brigitte meanwhile already met Angelina Jolie in Paris this week as Hollywood star where she discussed her recent trip to Jordan and urged members of the UN Security Council to resolve the conflict in Syria.
The American actress and humanitarian wore a demure off-white dress under a grey shawl as she made her way through the streets of the French capital to meet with President Emmanuel Macron’s wife at the Élysée Palace.
Shielding her eyes behind a pair of oversized sunglasses, UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina also made a stop at the Guerlain boutique on the Champs-Elysées, where she is believed to have posed for an ad campaign.
Meeting of the minds: Angelina Jolie met with French First Lady Brigitte Macron at Paris’ Élysée Palace on Tuesday
Family fun: Earlier on in the day, Angelina took in the sights of Paris with her six children – Maddox, 16, Zahara, 13, Pax, 14, Shiloh, 11, and nine-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne
Ahead of the conference, Macron met Sall at the presidential palace in the Senegalese capital and signed agreements on the sale of two Airbus planes for 171 million euros and the creation of a Franco-Senegalese university campus.
Senegalese police made several arrests on Friday afternoon when dispersing a protest march by ‘France Degage’, a group which wants the former colonial power to reduce its role in Senegal.
Macron has visited Africa six times already in his nine months as president, spending time in several former French colonies and reaffirming support for the Barkhane counter-terror force rooting out jihadists across the Sahel region.
French President Emmanuel Macron reviews troops during a welcome ceremony at the presidential palace in Dakar before a meeting with Senegalese President on February 2
Macron, travelling with his wife, Brigitte, visited French forces serving with the G5 Sahel, a five-nation regional force launched last year to counter growing extremism in West Africa