PARIS, March 5 — France’s President Emmanuel Macron is currently on a tour of African capitals to promote a shift in French policy towards the continent. This is his 18th presidential trip to Africa, and it comes at a time of growing competition from China and Russia, as well as criticism of France’s close economic ties with its former colonies.
Mr. Macron sees Africa as a crucial partner for Europe in tackling major global issues over the decades ahead, and he believes that Paris and Brussels cannot afford to neglect the continent, even amid other pressing international issues like Ukraine. He recognizes the challenges and opportunities presented by Africa’s youthful dynamism, and he aims to reorient French support towards training and technical backup for African armed forces, with troop numbers reduced and military collaboration programs tailored to the specific requests of individual countries.
In a bid to sustain a role for France in this increasingly competitive arena, Mr. Macron has also announced that the remaining French bases in Africa will be co-managed and shared with the forces of the host nations, with the exception of the base in Djibouti. This move is part of a broader effort to diversify French engagement across a range of areas, including culture, history, immigration, trade, development, and even the reform of the CFA franc – a currency used by 14 African countries and pegged to the euro under a guarantee provided by Paris.
Mr. Macron is also seeking to deepen cultural connections and exchanges of ideas with Africa, as part of a broader effort at reconciliation over past history. He has commissioned historians to produce reports on France’s track record in the war over Algerian independence and the events surrounding the Rwandan genocide of 1994. In parallel, he has announced schemes to promote sports training and to ease access to visas for Africans to pursue post-graduate study in France.
Mr. Macron’s approach marks a departure from previous governments in Paris, particularly in the 1990s, which sought to move away from the old network of mutually complacent vested special connections between African and French elites encapsulated in the term “Françafrique”. Mr. Macron has gone further in confronting the painful and sometimes shameful episodes of the past and returning looted treasures while pursuing stronger support for democracy and grassroots development. However, his efforts have been somewhat overshadowed in recent years by France’s military engagement against militant groups in the Sahel, which has fuelled controversy and resentment among some segments of African public opinion.
Mr. Macron’s latest tour is aimed at refocusing attention on the broader aspects of French-African relations and promoting a more collaborative, less military-oriented approach to engagement. He is acutely aware of how other nations, particularly China and Russia, are seeking to extend their influence in Africa, and he sees the continent as crucial to Europe’s own future growth and prosperity. – BBC
