In the run-up to the Africa Forward summit in Nairobi, Mark Owen is pleased to welcome Éléonore Caroit, France’s deputy minister for Francophonie, International Partnerships and French Citizens Abroad. France is seeking to expand and transform its relationship with the entire African continent, Caroit explains. Africa Forward, France’s first summit in English-speaking Africa, is reflective of a series of new initiatives that are “not limited to former colonies” but rather “a forward-looking relationship that is based on youth, and based on growth”.
France‘s deputy foreign minister presents a vision of French diplomacy grounded in what she highlights as “balanced, equal-based partnerships”. The language is striking because it openly acknowledges the historical burden of “Françafrique”, while simultaneously insisting that a generational and strategic transformation is underway.
“We have radically transformed our relationship with African countries,” she states, arguing that contemporary France must “look at our history right in the eye” while also learning to be less “apologetic” and more forward-looking. Especially given that “Africa is the fastest-growing continent”.
She also addresses the tensions surrounding France’s contemporary role in Africa. Asked directly about expulsions from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, Caroit reframes the narrative: “Those are three countries out of 54.” Rather than interpreting the Sahel crisis as evidence of continental rejection, she insists that “the vast majority of countries are seeking” French partnerships in areas ranging from education and mobility to water infrastructure and investment.
An implicit point of contention concerns competition with China, and while Caroit shies away from any direct geopolitical confrontation, she doesn’t hesitate to contrast French and Chinese methods. France, she argues, offers partnership through resourcefulness, local investment and vast diasporic ties, whereas China’s model has not often involved “transferring know-how” on a local level, rather sending in their own workforce from the Chinese mainland.
The way she frames it, France’s comparative advantage lies less in state power than in human and cultural interconnection. “We have something that China doesn’t have. We have a huge diaspora.” She sees this as a “source of opportunities” both for France and Africa, saying “the diaspora is investing in Africa” through remittances, businesses and innovation.
Caroit asserts that these initiatives with Africa ultimately reflect a broader transition from post-colonial influence to reciprocal partnership, from military presence to youth diplomacy and from historical apology towards pragmatic coexistence. She makes clear that Paris is eager to project an image of renewal and generational change.