Sarkozy seeks fresh start and bigger business ties at Africa summit
Over 250 African and French business leaders rubbed shoulders with African heads-of-state in Nice on Monday, as the 25th France-Africa summit, which for the first time will focus on both trade and politics, got under way.
On Monday, over 250 business leaders from Africa and France joined 38 African heads-of-state in the French Riviera city of Nice for the 25th annual France-Africa summit. In a break with the past, this year’s summit will focus on trade between France and the continent, rather than solely on political ties.
The summit is viewed by many as an attempt by the Elysee Palace to boost its dwindling influence in the region in the face of stiff competition from China, India and other emerging economic superpowers. China is now Africa’s biggest trading partner, and has invested billions over the past decade to tap into the continent’s raw materials to fuel its own fast-growing economy.
When he took office in 2007, French President Nicolas Sarkzoy vowed to break with the past and end what he described as the paternalistic relationship between France and its former colonies, a relationship based on privileges and hand-outs popularly referred to as “Francafrique”.
France has been frequently criticized for ignoring human rights violations in its former African colonies and propping up autocratic leaders in its quest for business privileges in the resource-rich continent.
In recent months, Sarkozy has attempted to mend France’s tense relations with Rwanda following the 1994 genocide. During a landmark trip to Kigali in March, Sarkozy said France would do everything possible to ensure that “all those responsible for the genocide are found and punished.” Diplomatic relations between France and Rwanda were restored last year, three years after Kigali severed ties with Paris.
Has France really turned over a new leaf in Africa?
But critics say that 50 years after several African nations gained independence from France, not much has changed in the country’s relationship with its former colonies.
While Sarkozy impressed when Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became the first African head of state to be invited to the presidential palace after he took office, he disappointed many when his first visit to the continent was to Gabon: then-President Omar Bongo of Gabon was a central figure in the ‘old’ ‘Françafrique’ style of diplomacy.
The disappointment turned to outrage last year, when the French government appeared to support Bongo’s son, Ali Bongo, in the August 2009 polls, sparking criticism among Gabonese opposition figures and igniting street protests across Paris.
Sarkozy’s cozy relations with Paul Biya, whose 28-year rule in Cameroon has been criticised by international rights groups, has also raised eyebrows in Africa circles. Last year, when Sarkozy welcomed the controversial African leader by praising Cameroon for its moderation, demonstrators in Paris sported placards that read, “Biya murderer, Sarkozy accomplice.”
At this year’s summit however, Sarkozy aims to focus on business. To mark the start of the much-trumpeted new era in French-African relations, a charter is set to be signed at the end of the conference which will pledge greater cooperation in training, jobs and environmental issues.
And while the annual summit has traditionally focused on former French colonies, the only two heads of state to hold face-to-face talks with Sarkozy at the conference’s sidelines are South Africa’s Jacob Zuma and Nigeria’s Goodluck Jonathan, both leaders of former British colonies.
France 24
How much longer do we have to take of this lopsided relationship? We have been giving and giving for what seems like an eternity so what are we getting in return? These days when I hear France and Cameroon not Africa, I simply scratch my head and say what else is new. Look around the entire African continent and pick one former ‘so-called-French colony’ just one and say here is an example of a great relationship that is 50yrs old…. Lol….. I thought so…
Wona lep pipo with dan wona allo toli seh France-Afrique. We dong tire for di hear the same lie over and over, mek wona too na give up the lies nor…wearke Africa!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This guy Sarkozy made a lot of noise when he was elected, telling the world how he was going to change France and reexamined the relations with africa of french speaking. Has he anything to prove today. look at the man who has pushed cameroon to the most corrupt nation on earth smiling around sarkozy. I think this is the best monent for Him. He carries a smiling face in Europe but wear a wicked and satanic face in Cameroon where he says he is president. Biya is the most absentee president on the planet. He has the same age like Mugabe ( 83yrs) but he is never home
As long as our French Speaking African Nations continue to worship and Glorify France, in the name of colonial master, their, Democracy, progress and development will continue being lag behind as a pregnant woman’s buttocks. And they will keep on producing, helpless, heartless, dictators like PauPau. If not, why should the Ministry of Finance of France has a share of BEAC’s profit even when poor cameroonians are there struggling without a good system of portable water even in Douala or Yaounde?
It is high time Cameroon Government recognized we have citizens out there with first class skills & experience. They just need to put in place a favourable working environment for these guys to come home and build a semi heaven on earth. After all, Cameroon is blessed with at least a piece of all that is out there, just that distribution or access is not by merit, but rather by connection, language, tribalism, bribe, and lack of patriotism or selfish interest.
This one sided relationship between France and its former colonies is just as a relationship between a master and his slaves.France is the master and the African dictators his slaves.50 years after independence, these so-called African leaders seems already confused as not to know what to do with their freedom.
France-Africa relationship? What a joke. One nation with a whole continent. Not just a continent but, the 2nd largest continnents in the world. What can France do, what has it done to it citizens? Not to talk of the African that fought for them in the WW II. Who are you kidding?
My conclusion is that Cameroonian leaders are all a bunch of selfish idiots. There is nothing France can do if we all stand together and say enough is enough. Now, who is with me, who can take a bullet for his beloved country? I am losing it, somebody help. 2012, beware, selfish idiots!
Comut for here…. fresh start and bigger business my foot!
I really am sickened by this…how can a single country, weighing maybe less than us in raw material and “if-converted and invested”-wealth be controlling us as though we are senseless. i believe POLITICS as in the sense of what i see here should be put burned, these guys are cheating us badly and everyone knows, everyone can see it. why is it hard to just speak up, turn the page and move away from them. we almost benefit nothing from France and for me that is no mutual relationship. and i believe all those secret agreements of colonial times should be annulled and forgoten by african leaders. can’t bear the fact we are cowards and treated like sheep, by the french, the french. they are draining us and our leaders (because of the political interests are letting this be) so sick!!!!
I wonder what african leaders always discuss while having their AU summit.the western powers keep on fooling us and we also accept to fool ourselves.there is nothing good france had ever done to african continent appart of evil things like teaching our leaders better ways of corruption,embezzlement,violation of human rights etc.france had exploited everything from its french colonies in africa or having lion shares on our natural resources.she want to stretch it wings to non french colonies at a moment but i bet her things must change and she is mere wasting her time for all this.china had already occupied africa and they are doing great to bring africa on a lamp light through their investment.i wonder upon the numerous visits of Biya to france the types of deals or negociations he does with them to improve the condition of cameroon.well mr Biya dum days await you come 2011.your time is over.Biya–sarkozy time is off.
please France,leave us alone we don’t want you in Africa.
l think we need France,especially to sell some of our local products.Trade relations with other countries from Europe,especially from the EU has been relatively ok,thanks to france.
Cameroon is an country Africa but at constant debacle with her neighbours.Our neighbours can’t reside in cameroon freely.There are daily police harassments onthese fellows thus leading to fiasco on our private sector.And as we all know it,those guys hold the aces to that section of our economy.
African countries generally does little or no trade amongst themselves.We have only 12% trade among african countries compared to Europes 90% among themselves.Our GDP’s are relatively low,buying powers low too… We are the least developed and the poorest people…THUS…
Countries to consume our products are nr 1.France seem to our nr 1 trading partner.We must come up with good suggestions.many on this blog are negative to france.fine,well done.l share your pain and anger.We are all in the same ship.please,bring forth ideas,visions that can bring our country back as the bread winner of Africa.not funny utterances such as..France must go…France must go..
good but trading with France and other european countries is not clear,the terms of trading is not balance.
what’s wrong with this web site?am in china not in the united states.
X Colonel :
Are u using a (US) proxy to access the Net ?
If so , that could be the reason.
Massa I strongly disagree with you. I don’t think we need France. The problem with us is Paul Biya. He is not interested in creating any trading partners with good countries like Canada who have never colonized anybody and whose main interest is to help poorer nations develop. Paul Biya is being protected by France to be a life president just like Bongo. His pay back to them is Cameroon’s natural resources. How come other African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, South Africa have multiple trading partners and Cameroon only has one main partner who controls everything? Cameroon should have formed a stronger relationship with a fellow bilingual country like Canada. Canada and it’s people are known for their generosity and fairness world wide. France doesn’t have any resources that is why they have to maintain those dictators in Africa to serve their interest. They know that if there is a real democratic election in countries like Gabon, Cameroon and the rest of the French speaking African countries, the people will elect somebody who will serve their purpose and not France’s interest and so France is bound to protect these dictators like Biya to stay in power as long as they can last. For those of you who don’t know, France had to send its army to Ivory Coast to kill civilians who were protesting against a corrupt dictator. I know this was not shown in French speaking African countries but I saw it here on TV in Canada. They were shooting at women and children on the street just because they were protesting against a dictator who was being protected by France.
I also forgot to mention that France’s real and biggest trading partners in Africa just as the article said are not their former colonies but English speaking countries like Nigeria, South Africa and even Ghana. Massa this should tell you something about how the French consider their former colonies. They know they have total control over their former colonies and don’t need any trade negotiations as they can take whatever they want when they want and nobody can stop them unlike in Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana where they can’t do that.
By the way does anybody know if the website camfoot.com has been blocked by the Cameroon government because of recent criticism of how the government handled the Choupo Moting affair? I have been trying to get to the website for days now but it looks as if it has been blocked.