By Patrick Titus, Uyo
African countries are increasingly taking “a more driving role in deal-making” and developing terms that would enable them to benefit more equitably from their own resources.
The Executive Director of Panel 54, Martin Minns, a Pan-African podcast, has noted in an assessment of France’s new direction in Africa, made available to newsmen on Thursday.
According to Minns, the issue has become central to France’s new Africa strategy as Paris moves beyond its traditional focus on Francophone West Africa towards English-speaking East Africa.
He also highlighted that France’s attempt to rebuild its economic relationship with Africa was meeting a continent increasingly determined to control how its natural resources are extracted, processed and traded.
African countries, Minns added were taking a stronger role in negotiating the terms of foreign investment, a development he described as a major change France must recognise as it seeks new economic partnerships on the continent.
“Over the last few years, increasing impetus has been placed on the sovereignty of African nations over the extraction and processing systems of their resources,” he said
The shift, Minns said, was highlighted by the Africa Forward Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya, which he described as the beginning of a major French “pivot” towards a different part of the continent.
France’s move follows years of deteriorating relations with several West African countries, including Mali, where French forces ended Operation Barkhane before eventually withdrawing from the Country.
Minns said France’s changing geographical focus showed that it was not abandoning Africa but was instead “repositioning itself geographically on the continent” to preserve its strategic and commercial interests.
He said the Africa France is dealing with today is “a different place” from the continent it encountered when it began its long withdrawal from Africa.
For France, Minns argued, adapting to the new resource and investment environment will be crucial to winning new partnerships.
“If France can use its fresh start to adapt to this new reality and enter the market on the most up-to-date trading terms, it will find itself a popular trading partner,” he said.
The Nairobi summit demonstrated the scale of France’s economic interest in the continent, with the country seeking about 250 deals and agreements with East African trade partners and President Emmanuel Macron announcing major investment commitments.
Minns said Kenya’s selection as host also reflected France’s interest in East Africa and the region’s economic opportunities, pointing to Kenya’s reported 4.6 per cent GDP growth in 2025.
However, he said France’s new strategy would not be without opposition, particularly among Africans who remain concerned about renewed Western influence on the continent.
“Not everyone will welcome the move,” Minns wrote, noting that France’s new approach was still unproven.
He nevertheless said the scale of the French investment commitments indicated that the move was not merely symbolic but “a strategic push to become a core partner to East Africa.”
For Africa, the most important question will be whether the new French partnerships respect the continent’s growing demand for control over its resources and deliver greater local benefits through processing, investment, trade and jobs.
Minns’ central argument is that France is returning to an Africa that has changed, and this time, African countries are seeking a stronger hand in determining how their wealth is developed and who benefits from it.
