The 29th France-Africa summit was held in Montpellier, in France on 8 October 2021. Though billed as a part of the series of Africa-France summits since 1973, it was unique. It had no heads of state or government. Instead, the invitees were 3,000 representatives of civil society, including entrepreneurs, academics and youth leaders. The only government represented was the French government led by President Emmanuel Macron himself.
This distinctive form of summit, of directly reaching out to the youth of Africa, is a new gambit by France. Of all the colonisers, France has one of the deepest and most complex relationships with Africa. Over the years, efforts have been made to reform Françafrique postcolonial policies, but mostly as lip service.
In 2020, several Francophone countries in Africa celebrated 60 years of independence.[1] Many of them have had major upheavals, and some continue to have serious problems with radicalization and terrorism. Their defence, security and political integration with France is immense. This is also true of the enmeshed economies. The Africa policy of early French presidents, essentially, traded providing security to the countries, particularly against domestic upheavals in exchange for preferred access to markets and natural resources for French companies.[2]
Macron is more focused on Africa than his predecessors have been. Africa is his foreign policy preference. Therefore, the youth summit, less than a year away from his reelection, holds significance. The French engagement is complex and not always absent of problems. More than half – 29 – of the 54 countries in Africa and 100 million Africans, are French-speaking. They dominate the membership of the African Union. The French have the most troops deployed in Africa.[3] Economically, France provides nearly 8% of African FDI.[4] Its trade at $55 billion, is the largest among the EU countries. It is in the top three, along with China and India. French Overseas Development Assistance (ODA), however, has been more restricted focusing on select 18 African countries.[5]
In 2020, 39% ($4.1 billion) of French bilateral ODA was spent in Africa. Of that, 80% or $3.35 billion was given to Sub-Saharan Africa.[6] Macron has reached out to countries beyond the Francophone, and he is building a relationship with civil society and those youth in Africa who are often the most critical of French policies.
Young entrepreneurs, artists and sportsmen from Africa met their counterparts from France, as well as members of the African diaspora.[7]
The discussions included economic, political and cultural engagement. The five major themes were citizen engagement, entrepreneurship and innovation, higher education and research, culture and sport.[8] There were debates, and more than 60 workshops in 12 African countries.[9] As summits do, a large amount of public diplomacy events from including cinema to theatre, dance and music, were included.[10]
Separately, 12 African youth from Mali, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, South Africa, Kenya, and others, met with President Macron. They seem to have unhesitatingly criticised French “arrogance” and “paternalism” in its unequal relations with Africa. They sought an apology for colonial-era acts.[11] Macron’s administration remained open to suggestions and did not constrain the youth from raising issues. “If Africa and France are cooking in the same pot, then the pot is dirty. And if you insist on cooking in that pot, we shall not eat at your table,” said a Burkina Faso activist.[12] The summit dialogues were curated by Cameroonian post-colonial thinker Achille Mbembe, who lives in South Africa. His main effort was to reduce the disconnection that France has encountered with the new momentum and political and cultural experimentation which African youth were creating. Mbembewas critical that France was consistently in support of tyrannical rulers. This impression could not be wished away since the examples of Chad,[13] Mali[14] and Cameroon[15] reinforced them.
The desire for change from the French side, has been long in the making. The summit was prepared from renewed engagement sought by Macron in his speech in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in November 2017.[16] The involvement of youth at the summit emanates from the Ouagadougou commitments, which pertained to education, mobility, governance and economic development. There is a comprehension that without the active involvement of youth and civil societies, solutions to school and higher education, entrepreneurship and innovation and the climate transition cannot be worked out. To this end, France is seeking a new common consciousness based on their traditional ties, but aims also to go beyond them. One of those ways is to reconsider the French ODA model as more of a partnership than a donor relationship. What exactly did this singular Africa France summit achieve?
First, youth from Anglophone and Lusophone Africa blended with Francophone peers. Second, the curation was left to an African, Achille Mbembe, to create avenues for discussion. His efforts led to all the sore points being put frankly on the table, including French military operations in Africa and matters of governance and democracy.
It wasn’t without controversy: Mbembe was criticised by other intellectuals, who felt he may be conniving in another publicity stunt to cover French designs with soft power. The Senegalese novelist Boubacar Boris Diop termed the effort ‘a fake stirring of the hornet’s nest’.[17] Diop does not believe Macron’s France has a real intention to change, and is no different from other French presidents who announced ideas to alter Françafrique policies, but never followed up. Nor has there been much progress on the promises made four years ago at Ouagadougou.
The third achievement is some confidence that Macron will really make it a true partnership, with change best brought about slowly.
Fourth, France conveyed to African ruling elites that it was connected to their people, perhaps better than the national politicians were. France can have more influence over nonstate and civil society actors within African countries.
Fifthly, analysts believe that the surprise Summit could have been better off with a hybrid model where the Governments interact and the robust civil society discussion could be held side by side. Macron chose only youth, civil society and diaspora. It is possible this will sway diaspora votes in his favour during the April 2022 elections.
Koffi M Kouakou an Ivorian, said famously that ‘Africa is France’s albatross and golden goose. Africa remains the treasure trove of choice for France.’[18] Africa is seen as France’s future. At this conference, France reinvented an engagement with Africa to enable it to stay ahead of other nations. Its success will be measured by how much it implements its promises and deepens the connections.
Amb. Gurjit Singh is Former Ambassador of India to the African Union and the Chair of CII Task Force on Asia Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC).
This article was exclusively written for Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations. You can read more exclusive content here.
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References:
[1] Africa and France: An unfulfilled dream of independence? DW 3 August 2020, https://www.dw.com/en/africa-and-france-an-unfulfilled-dream-of-independence/a-54418511
[2] Paul Melly of the British think-tank Chatham House, quoted in Africa and France: An unfulfilled dream of independence? DW 3 August 2020, https://www.dw.com/en/africa-and-france-an-unfulfilled-dream-of-independence/a-54418511
[3] France to boost military troops in Africa’s Sahel to counter terrorism, 2 February 2020, DW, https://www.dw.com/en/france-to-boost-military-troops-in-africas-sahel-to-counter-terrorism/a-52232235
[4] Leading sources of foreign direct investment (FDI) into Africa between 2014 and 2018, by investor country, Statista.com May 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1122389/leading-countries-for-fdi-in-africa-by-investor-country/
[5] Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo. Priority countries for French official development assistance, Development Assistance ,Geographical priorities, France Diplomacy, https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy/development-assistance/geographical-priorities/
[6] Africa as a priority, ibid.
[7] The New Africa-France Summit, reinventing our relationship together, France Diplomacy, https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/africa/the-new-africa-france-summit-reinventing-our-relationship-together/
[8] Africa France New Summit, https://sommetafriquefrance.org/en/
[9] Africa-France summit: Macron courts African youths, diaspora, civil society, RFI, 7 October 2021, https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20211007-africa-france-summit-macron-to-engage-with-african-youths-diaspora-civil-society
[10] Africa Montpellier, The Season, June-November 2021, https://www.africa-montpellier.fr/le-programme/
[11] Mucahid Durmaz, Cornered by African youth, Macron intends to repair FrancAfrique, Al Jazeera, 12 October 2021
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/12/cornered-by-african-youth-macron-intends-to-repair-francafrique
[12] Cellestine Olilo, Africa: President Emmanuel Macron Admits France Owes Africa a ‘Debt’
The East African, 11 October 2021, https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/rest-of-africa/president-emmanuel-macron-admits-france-owes-africa-a-debt-3579440
[13] France accepted the takeover by the son of assassinated President Idriss Deby.
[14] Mali transition presents opportunity to break ‘vicious circle of political crises’, UN News, 13 January 2021, https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/01/1082002
[15] The world’s major powers must not ignore Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis, The Conversation, September 27, 2018, https://theconversation.com/the-worlds-major-powers-must-not-ignore-cameroons-anglophone-crisis-103857
[16] Emmanuel Macron’s speech at the University of Ouagadougou, Elysée, 28 November 2017, https://www.elysee.fr/en/emmanuel-macron/2017/11/28/emmanuel-macrons-speech-at-the-university-of-ouagadougou
[17] Boubacar Boris Diop, MONTPELLIER, FRANÇAFRIQUE AT THE END OF BREATH, senegalactu.info, 8 October 2021, https://senegalactu.info/montpellier-la-francafrique-a-bout-de-souffle-par-boubacar-boris-diop/
[18] Koffi M Kouakou, Afrique-France – a manufactured summit that showcases French paternalism and neo-colonial posturing, The World News South Africa, 15 October 2021, Afrique-France – a manufactured summit that showcases French paternalism and neo-colonial posturing (theworldnews.net)