By Enyichukwu Enemanna
French President, Emmanuel Macron on Saturday commenced a visit to Africa, aiming to renew his country’s influence on the continent, following few years of strained relations, particularly with former French‑speaking colonies.
In English‑speaking Kenya, Macron will on Monday and Tuesday co‑host a summit which will bring together African leaders and business executives, as he seeks to cement his legacy one year before the end of his tenure of office.
He is also expected to embark on a trip to Egypt and Ethiopia as part of his tour.
“The Africa Forward summit marks a major milestone in relations between France and the African continent,” the Elysee Palace of the President’s office said.
The meeting will focus on economic development and cross‑border investment, among other themes, the French presidency said, stressing that it will be the first such forum held in an English‑speaking country.
Macron hopes to highlight France’s renewed relationship with the continent as a “report card on his Africa policy”, a diplomat noted.
Anti‑French sentiment runs high in some former African colonies as the continent becomes a renewed diplomatic battleground, with Russian and Chinese influence growing.
France has played a crucial role in Africa’s post‑colonial history, repeatedly intervening militarily since the early 1960s.
France has vowed to abandon the so‑called “Francafrique” strategy, under which Paris sought to keep francophone Africa under its thumb through political collusion, exclusive access for French businesses and oblique financial deals including graft.
Macron has gone further than his predecessors in admitting France’s colonial-era abuses in countries including Rwanda, Cameroon and Senegal.
He has however ruled out any official apology for torture and other abuses carried out by French troops in Algeria.
Ahead of his trip, French parliament definitively adopted legislation to simplify the return of artworks looted during the colonial era.
Also under his watch, French forces deployed in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger withdrew following successive coups, as the juntas in those countries drew closer to Russia.
The unravelling of those ties came after Macron in 2020 summoned leaders of Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mauritania to the southwestern French town of Pau, threatening to pull out French troops.
The meeting was widely seen as a throwback to the colonial era and accelerated France’s crisis in relations with the countries in the Sahel.
