Thursday marks the beginning of a two-day state visit to France by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, with both sides scenting economic rewards as Paris looks to build new ties in Africa after a series of setbacks.The first such formal visit by a Nigerian leader since 2000 comes after military coups and changing attitudes have lessened France’s influence on the continent.That makes Tinubu’s visit a positive sign for French President Emmanuel Macron, who has sought a “renewal” between Paris and Africa since his 2017 election.The trip is “an opportunity to deepen the already dynamic relationship between France and Nigeria”, Macron’s office said.The west African country is the continent’s leading oil producer and has a robust film industry, dubbed “Nollywood”. But challenges posed by insecurity and corruption have left 129 million Nigerians — more than half the country’s population — living below the poverty line.For Nigeria, the visit represents an opportunity to tap economic investment.Nigeria was looking to build ties in “agriculture, security, education, health, youth engagement, innovation and energy transition,” Tinubu’s office said in a statement, adding that the president had landed in Paris on Wednesday evening.He and Macron will also address “shared values concerning finance, solid minerals, trade and investment, and communication,” it added.The presidents are set to meet at the “Franco-Nigerian Business Council”, a forum designed “to develop new partnerships between the economic players in both countries”.- Colonial past -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.France suffered a blow when a series of coups from 2020 hit its former colonies in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.Banding together, the military rulers who took power then broke off ties with former France and pivoting towards Russia.The three Sahel 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”, said Togolese economist Kako Nubukpo.Nigeria was France’s number one trading partner in Africa in 2023, followed by South Africa, according to the 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 — up to 700 new city dwellers by 2050 — and an emerging middle class, countries throughout Africa are seeking to take advantage of French investment to boost economic growth.-‘Partnership of equals’-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) group, as well as armed criminal gangs.Tinubu, elected head of Africa’s most populous country 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, the source said, adding Nigeria “wants a partnership of equals, not a lecture”, especially on human rights.Next, Paris hopes to court others on the continent at the 2026 Africa-France Summit, where France sees opportunities in countries like Kenya and Zambia.
Thu, 28 Nov 2024 06:27:46 GMT
