Macron’s visit in Africa, a new French policy towards the continent? – Keeping an Eye on the Geopolitical Ball

This week on Keeping an Eye on the Geopolitical Ball, Jamie Shea, Senior Fellow at Friends of Europe, focuses on the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to several African countries; Angola, Gabon, Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He analyses this visit as the launch of a new French strategy with Africa. Macron will only highlight consensual themes such as the defence of the environment with the One Forest Summit which will meet for the first time in Libreville, Gabon, in accordance with what was announced at COP27. The other main themes of this trip are the training in agriculture for Africa’s agricultural world, the Francophonie, memory and culture. Jamie Shea reminds us that this visit comes in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and increased influence in Africa as well as in the middle of tensions between France and some African countries, as the French military forces were for instance expelled from Mali in the last months. He also details that the new French approach to Africa and other countries of the West should be more based on equal partnerships through increasing investment and business in Africa rather than adopting a post-colonial logic.