This is a great question and one I’d love to draw attention to because I am passionate about Africa’s development as a continent.

To start, the incursion of France into Africa started long before the struggle and partition for Africa in the late 19th century. After the decline of the Ottoman Empire in the 1600’s, France invaded Africa and started trade relations with the North Africa. However, her presence overburdened this region of Africa when Britain, France, Portugal and Germany partitioned Africa into spheres of influence for colonization.

SUBJUGATION OR A CIVILISING MISSION

Francophone countries (French speaking) in Africa are mostly found in the Western and northern region.

These areas were colonized by the French and assimilated into French way of life because the French felt they had a moral standard mission to assimilate the world into French standards by instituting Christianity and French culture into their colonies.

In 1884, Jules Ferry an ardent proponent of colonialism, stated that;

“The higher races have a right over the lower races, they have a duty to civilise the inferior races.”

Although French colonies were granted full citizenship rights, they were still treated like subjects not citizens.

European powers such as France, Great Britain, and Italy, were able to conquer land in Africa quite easily due to their superior militaries and capital capabilities. For them, they saw Africa as an opportunity to colonize and expand. They saw the immense land in Africa as a great opportunity to outsource labour and further assimilate their cultures.

“WITHOUT AFRICA, FRANCE WILL HAVE NO HISTORY IN THE 21ST CENTURY”-FRANCOIS MITTERAND, 1957

A man by the name of Pierre Paul François Camille Savorgnan de Brazza (1852-1905) was instrumental in the establishment of the French colonies in Africa.

He colonized African states by offering their leaders a lavish lifestyle in exchange for paying colonial debts to France. Things have changed since then, however.

The CFA Franc

To this day, 14 ex-French colonies use what is called the CFA Franc as their official currency. The CFA franc was introduced to the French colonies in West Africa in 1945, replacing the French West African franc.

The West African colonies and territories using the CFA franc were Ivory Coast, Dahomey, French Sudan, Mauritania, Niger, Sénégal, Togo and Upper Volta. The currency continued in use when these colonies gained their independence, because it provided economic stability to developing African countries.

The CFA franc is pegged to the euro, a strong currency, which is a handicap for the competitiveness of their exports. It’s like a tax on their exports.

Is France benefiting from this deal? Yes. Did it have anything to do with slavery? No. Did it provide stability for the CFA franc? Yes. Could the countries have done better without this deal? I don't think anyone can say for sure.

“The CFA zone is essentially a laughably ill-suited and dysfunctional and loveless marriage that’s being held together for lack of a better option,” said John Ashbourne, an Africa specialist at London-based Capital Economics.

Even so, it has “spared the CFA franc-zone from the sort of violent, unpredictable inflation spikes seen in other countries.” The euro peg has helped the CFA franc avoid the declines seen in most of its emerging-market and African peers as a slowdown in China saps demand for commodities. The currency has fallen 8% against the dollar this year, compared with 14% for Ghana’s cedi, 24% for Angola’s kwanza and the 46% plunge in Zambia’s kwacha.

Furthermore, regulations on the CFA Franc see beneficiary countries placing 50% of their monetary reserves with the Banque de France. This regulation serves as protection against political dishonesty, and helps to maintain economic stability by ensuring Francophone nations stay intertwined with French currency. The result? Lower inflation and greater economic stability.

Any country can choose to leave or join the Franc CFA at will. This process is more of an economic incentive for African countries rather than a colonial pact. In fact, Several ex-french colonies have actually left the Franc CFA in the past, only to rejoin it later when realizing that it did provide some nice economic benefits.

Military Presence

France has maintained an adequate military presence across Sub-Saharan Africa. They offer some form of protection, and training programs.

However, it would be naive to think that the sole objective of the military bases of France in Africa is to protect the local people. Many tend to think that the main goal is rather to protect the french economical interests in the region. It is all alright since it can help bring peace for the locals.

France has stationed over 3,000 troops spread across five countries in Africa — Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad — as part of Operation Burkhane. Based in Chad, the operation aims at disrupting potential militants threat across the Sahel region of the continent.

Aside from combatting jihadist militancy, France also pushed heavily for intervention in Libya during the the country's uprising against Muammar Gaddafi, and has been involved in peacekeeping operations in various African countries.

France’s militarization is precisely why ‘the world says nothing about it.’ Political corruption, crime, disease, and poverty continue to run ramped across Sub-Saharan Africa, and although not consequential, one cannot undermine the positive presence that the French military has in this area.

Although 3,000 troops does not seem like a lot, African law enforcement and militaries can benefit from their presence because they offer military knowledge, training, and prowess, even if France’s military agenda in Africa is centred around economic factors. Furthermore, Ex-French colonies also benefit from military training programs provided by the US for example. Other ex-French colonies also increasingly rely on their own military academies (Niger, Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, etc)

The Future Of French-African Relations

After some more research on this topic, I’ve come to realize that French-African relations are not as troublesome as you might think.

In fact, the international US corporation, have been far worse than France in terms of French colonialism and slavery.

From the way I see it, France has supplied Francophone nations with a sturdy currency in the CFA Franc, a helpful military presence, and a geo-political partner. The situation does not seem to be “draining” these African states, and I also don’t see France-African relations ceasing to exist any time soon, unless, say, China continues to make an extensive impact on the continent.

Over the past several decades China (and the rest of Asia) has obviously experienced tremendous economic growth, along with an expanding middle class. This expansion has fuelled an unprecedented need for resources.

The economic powerhouse has focused on securing the long-term energy supplies needed to sustain its industrialization, searching for secure access to oil supplies and other raw materials around the globe.

As part of this effort, China has turned to Africa. Through significant investment in a continent known for political and security risks, China has boosted African oil and mining sectors in exchange for advantageous trade deals.

Is China’s relationship with Africans states advantageous or destabilizing to Africa’s future economic prosperity? I’ll let you decide. But personally, I don’t see this as a bad thing. China and France respectively, have robust economies, stable governments, and capable militaries that can help Underdeveloped African nations in numerous ways.

That to me, does not sound like a “drain” of Africa’s economic potential.

[Disclaimer - thank you to everyone who took the time to read this answer and comment your thoughts. I realize that my sources at first draft may not have been up to par, and could have caused some misrepresentation of this issue. I have since made what I believe to be some necessary changes for the sake of making sure this answer is correct. This is my first time writing about French colonialism and French-African relations, so any constructive criticism is welcome. If you can spot any holes in this answer’s knowledge, please point them out and I can make further changes. Thanks again, - David]

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