I am trying to understand why Nigerians are opening their markets to France. Did you know that Nigeria is one of France’s largest economic hubs in sub-Saharan Africa? French companies are active across nearly every major sector of the Nigerian economy. Likewise, in Angola, the French footprint is growing up particularly in oil and gas, logistics, and construction: there, for instance, TotalEnergies is one of the top 2 oil operators in Angola owning over 40% of Angola’s offshore production (their presence predates some of us, remember Angolagate?). Now our dear William Ruto is opening the Kenyan market to France… Not quite, Kenya is one of the top 3 African countries for French business presence (after South Africa, and Morocco). Don’t these African, anglophone and lusophone countries feel or know how the Francophone African countries have been suffering under their yoke?

Over 3 weeks ago, Kenya hosted the Africa Forward Summit, a summit aimed at deepening Africa-France economic ties which was held for the first time in an English-speaking country, as France seeks to revitalize its influence outside its normal pré-carré in Africa. Kenyan President William Ruto was leveraging the summit to negotiate for ‘fairer’ treatment of African nations in global finance, with France expressing support. At the end of the summit, France and Kenya signed over $1 billion in agreements covering transport, infrastructure, maritime affairs, and economic development. Our good old Ruto and his deals! Macron also announced $27 billions of investment during the Africa Forward summit in Kenya. Where would this money come from, when France is in super debt? Oh wait!… from the other pré-carré countries, and printing paper money! Africa is funding Europe!

So instead of repairing the relationship with all the Francophone countries who complain of France’s chokehold on them, France is expanding to the other African countries (Anglophone, Lusophone, hispanophone) who were never part of its colonies. They maintain their chokehold on 14 – 15 countries with the horrible FCFA and keep them under their yoke choking the life out of them, and now for those who have rebelled like Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger they even fund terrorism and push all sorts of embargo on them. The 11 Components of the French Colonial Tax in Africa. Historically, France has sponsored numerous coups d’état in many of its pré-carré constantly destabilizing them to their advantage.

During the Africa Forward Summit, French President Emmanuel Macron, who cannot help but show his disdain and condescension for Africans, stood up and asked the audience to quiet, telling them that their behavior showed a “total lack of respect” for the presenters. His remarks were perceived by many as condescending, highlighting tensions related to France’s historical legacy in Africa. Remember when he went to Burkina Faso in 2017 and asked the president of the country, Roch Marc Kaboré, to go fix the AC in front of university students? or in Mali where he called the president by his nickname during a press conference… something he would have never done with his Western counterparts? The disrespect is common measure for this man, and betrays his feelings toward us.

Now, the French president is cruising the continent, Nigeria, Angola, Kenya, Ethiopia… It’s like France has finished to suck its previous colonies dry, and is now moving to the other ones who, having no knowledge of their modus operandi, open up to them without knowing that they are opening a page to slavery. My question to the other African countries being courted today: are you just blind? or do you choose to be naive and think that your neighbor’s master/enemy would treat you differently? Your neighbor is still in chains after over 60 years of ‘independence.’… would you escape? What do you think of the French president’s scolding of audience in Kenya?

Check out articles from the Independent, Forbes Africa, and Al Jazeera.