A Dying Françafrique?

On why France is no longer the unchallenged major global power in francophone Africa and what it means for the region (and for France)

I: Declining French economic and political influence

In a recent tweet the French defense minister, Sebastien Lecornu, complained about the portrayal of French troops in the popular film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. A scene in the film portrays a group of mercenaries, who appear to be French, being paraded for conspiring to steal the mythical Wakanda’s resources. Lecornu’s prickliness over the alleged negative depiction of French soldiers in the film succinctly captures the current moment in Africa-France relations.

France’s influence in its former colonies in Africa is facing its severest test in decades. Protests against the CFA, dubbed “the last colonial currency,” have grown louder in recent years. Among other things, the currency arrangement effectively denies 14 African countries monetary policy sovereignty and requires them to deposit half their reserves with the French treasury. Consequently, it is now fairly mainstream to call for the end of the CFA. Reasonable commentato…