Nigerian state visit signals shift in France's Africa strategy

Nigerian state visit signals shift in France's Africa strategy

Bola Tinubu's trip marks the first state visit to France by a Nigerian president since 2000
Bola Tinubu's trip marks the first state visit to France by a Nigerian president since 2000. Photo: Ludovic MARIN / AFP
Source: AFP

President Bola Tinubu will begin a two-day trip to France on Thursday, the first state visit by a Nigerian leader in more than two decades, as Paris seeks to boost ties with anglophone Africa.

Military coups and changing attitudes have lessened France's influence on the African continent, where several nations have turned their backs on their former colonial ruler and grown increasingly frosty towards the European Union.

That makes Tinubu's visit a positive sign for French President Emmanuel Macron, who has sought a "renewal" between Paris and the African continent since his 2017 election.

The trip is "an opportunity to deepen the already dynamic relationship between France and Nigeria", Macron's office said ahead of Tinubu's visit, the first by a Nigerian head of state since 2000.

The west African country is the continent's leading oil producer and has a robust film industry but challenges posed by insecurity and corruption have left 129 million Nigerians -- more than half the country's population -- living below the poverty line.

Read also

New EU commission to get all clear with big push on defence and economy

For Nigeria, the visit represents an opportunity to tap economic investment with Tinubu and Macron set to meet at the "Franco-Nigerian Business Council", a forum designed "to develop new partnerships between the economic players in both countries".

"We have an open-door policy, and we want your investors to take advantage of it," the Nigerian president told France's ambassador in early November, calling Macron his "good friend".

– 'Colonial past'

Nigeria is Africa's most populous country
Nigeria is Africa's most populous country. Photo: Olympia DE MAISMONT / AFP
Source: AFP

Paris's pivot towards English-speaking Africa signals Macron's desire to reverse the country's declining influence on the continent, with visits to Nigeria in 2018, Ethiopia in 2019 and South Africa in 2021.

"This is not a new trend ... but the crises in the Sahel have accelerated this dynamic," said Togolese economist Kako Nubukpo.

France suffered a blow when Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso -– all under military rule following a string of coups since 2020 –- joined together in September 2023 under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), severing ties with former colonial ruler France and pivoting towards Russia.

Read also

Carrefour attempts damage control against Brazil 'boycott'

The West African countries are all battling jihadist violence that erupted in northern Mali in 2012 and spread to Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.

Now, "France's leading trading partners in Africa are not French-speaking", Nubukpo said.

Nigeria was France's number one trading partner in Africa in 2023, followed by South Africa, according to French customs authority.

France still holds significant sway despite competition from China, India, and Turkey, said Alain Antil, a researcher in sub-Saharan Africa at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI).

This is especially true in English-speaking countries where France "is not held back by its colonial past", he told AFP.

And with urbanisation and an emerging middle class, countries throughout Africa are seeking to take advantage of French investment to boost economic growth.

"Between 2020 and 2050, there will be between 600 and 700 million more urban dwellers in Africa," said Antil, adding, "it's transforming African societies and cities" which need to be built and equipped to manage the change.

Read also

Climate finance's 'new era' shows new political realities

'Partnership of equals'

Bola Tinubu is the chairman of the West African economic bloc ECOWAS
Bola Tinubu is the chairman of the West African economic bloc ECOWAS. Photo: Kola Sulaimon / AFP
Source: AFP

As Africa's most populous country, Nigeria represents a promising market despite the challenges posed by insecurity and corruption.

Since 2009, northern Nigeria has been plagued by various jihadist groups, including Boko Haram and a rival faction, the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP), as well as armed criminal groups.

Tinubu, elected head of Africa's largest economy in 2023, is also the current chairman of the West African economic bloc ECOWAS.

And the Franco-Nigerian Business Council, launched during Macron's 2018 presidential visit to Nigeria, is playing a leading role in encouraging investment and economic cooperation between the two countries.

The French president will receive its members, including billionaire Aliko Dangote, during the official state visit with "big contracts" on the line, according to a diplomatic source who asked not to be named.

This state visit with Tinubu "epitomises" France's strategy in anglophone Africa, they said, adding Nigeria "wants a partnership of equals, not a lecture", especially on human rights.

Read also

Macron praises EU-Chile trade agreement on Latin America tour

Next, Paris hopes to court east Africa at the 2026 Africa-France Summit, where France sees opportunities in countries like Kenya and Zambia.

cl-Dt-bb/ekf/jh/giv

New feature: Сheck out news that is picked for YOU ➡️ click on “Recommended for you” and enjoy!

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.