Editorial: France wooing Nigeria, influence dwindling in Francophone Africa.

There is no qualm that France suffered a blow when Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso severed ties with the former colonial master and pivoted towards Russia.

Across the continent, "France is now reaping the consequences of decades of self-interested interference and commercial greed in their former colonies at a moment of widespread and vocal resentment of the western nations that exploited the continent for so long", to borrow from The Guardian of London.



It is not only in Francophone countries, which have been notorious for military takeovers, that France has lost influence, but also in democracies like Cameroon, Senegal, etc. These countries have also veered towards China, Russian, Israel etc, to exert their sovereignty, though still tied to the apron string of the Franc CFA.

With the frosty relations with its former colonies, French President, Emmanuel Macron's desire to reverse the country's declining influence on the continent has targeted major Anglophone countries like Ethiopia, South Africa and Nigeria.

Last week, Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu, made a two-day trip to France, the first State visit by a Nigerian leader in more than two decades!

In a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, signed by both countries on the sidelines of the official visit, both nations agreed to collaborate on research, training, and Franco-Nigerian student exchanges to transfer knowledge and skills.

The MoU is expected to open new opportunities for the remediation of over 2,000 abandoned pits in Nigeria, through its plan to intervene in environmental rehabilitation and post-mining projects.

A key component of the MoU is the promotion of sustainable mining activities by executing projects and programmes that reduce the environmental impact of mining on carbon emissions, water consumption, and climate change.

It also includes the establishment of joint extractive and processing projects through co-financing by public and private entities, to diversify and secure the supply of critical minerals and decarbonise energy projects vital to the value chain.

Both nations also agreed to adopt international best practices to execute conceptualised projects and to improve the conditions of the local populace affected by mining, whilst placing a premium on transparency.

Nigeria is the continent's leading oil producer, but has challenges posed by insecurity and corruption that have left 129 million Nigerians; more than half the country's population, living below the poverty line, according to economic data.

The country was France's number one trading partner in Africa in 2023, followed by South Africa, according to French Customs Authority. As Africa's most populous country, Nigeria represents a promising market, despite the challenges posed by insecurity and corruption.

But despite Macron's push in Anglophone Africa, France's market share on the continent has plummeted from 5.5% in 2017, to around 3.2% in 2023, according to the French Economy Ministry, with China and Russia performing better.

To quote The Guardian of London again, Macron has recognised "the often dark history of France in Africa as a threat to his diplomatic and economic efforts to win friends and influence, amid intense power competition on the continent". 

He has tried to tackle issues, including asking for forgiveness in Rwanda, a former Belgian colony, which government has since accused France of complicity in the killing of about 800,000 mostly Tutsi Rwandans in 1994.

Speaking at a press conference in Yaounde with President Paul Biya on July 26, 2022, President Macron said he wanted historians from both countries to work together and investigate the past and establish “responsibilities” on France’s bloody colonial past in Cameroon. He promised that France’s archives on its colonial rule would be “opened in full”.

While expectations are high, the concrete outcome is uncertain. But this has not prevented a deterioration in France’s position in Africa, with significant impact on the economy and diplomacy.

Nonetheless, while France woos Anglophone countries to ameliorate its economic cooperation as "partners", its neo-colonial joker within the 14 African countries using the franc CFA remains its strongest instrument of influence, often threatened only by military takeovers.

 

 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3311 of Thursday December 05, 2024

 

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