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Paris wants to improve economic and security ties as it tackles the rise of anti-French sentiment across Africa.
French President Emmanuel Macron has embarked on a trip to East Africa as Paris seeks to renew its influence on the continent after a series of crises, particularly in former West African countries.
Macron began a three-nation tour in Egypt on Saturday, which will also take him to Kenya and Ethiopia.
He will hold a major conference in English-speaking Kenya on Monday and Tuesday as France seeks to redefine its role in Africa, from its post-colonial position to close cooperation.
The meeting will bring together African leaders and trade officials, with several agreements between French and Kenyan companies expected to be signed during the visit to further economic and trade cooperation.
The “Africa Forward” summit will be the first in an Anglophone country where Macron has attended since taking office in 2017.
The French leader will end his visit to Addis Ababa on Wednesday, where he will hold meetings with Ethiopian officials and participate in discussions at the African Union headquarters on peace and security in Africa.
The visit is seen as a bid by Paris to rebuild economic and security ties and to counter the rise of anti-French sentiment across Africa.
The African revolution
France controlled much of West and Central Africa, and retained considerable political and economic power long after independence.
France, once accused of aiding unpopular leaders to their advantage, is no longer the foreign power it once was in Francophone Africa.
Across the continent, there is a push for more equitable, sustainable, natural resource management and greater cooperation than traditional Western partnerships.
The evolution of the Sahel
Anti-French sentiment has often grown along with political instability, military occupation and increased competition from other countries.
The biggest explosions have occurred in the Sahel region, where Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have seen terrorist attacks followed by a deterioration in relations with France.
The French army was expelled after years of fighting against armed forces that many local governments and sections of the population saw as useless.
Instead, the military rulers of the region have turned new security partners, especially Russiareflecting the decline of French influence in the region.
Russian influence, including through the Wagner Group and its successor networks, grew in part through the use of anti-French sentiment.
Can Macron succeed in reforming France’s African policy?
Macron wants to reform France’s African policy, replacing his culture with what he calls solidarity.
He is also pushing for deeper cultural and educational collaborations related to business, climate and youth engagement.
Such efforts are seen as an attempt by France to revive its post-colonial relations with African countries and compete with powers like China and Russia.
Paris, in fact, is trying to change its policy on Africa; questions about its influence on the continent, however, persist.
