Agreements for the renewal of financial cooperation lately signed by President Bola Tinubu with France’s President Emmanuel Macron pose a lot significance past the extraordinary. First, it could signpost a brand new and improved period of relationship and improvement for the 2 nations, above the current degree. Nonetheless, if needed warning is just not noticed, the agreements might worsen suspicions in some quarters of in poor health motives that could be detrimental to the unity and progress of Nigeria and the West African sub-region. What’s required is transparency and forthrightness on the a part of the 2 nations to guarantee that the final word beneficiaries of the pacts are the individuals of Nigeria and France.
Whereas the signing of agreements to resume financial ties between the 2 nations is cheery for each nations, these agreements should be such that can produce tangible outcomes for Nigerians. They need to not finish as rhetoric or a glitz organised for the optics.
On December 2, 2024, Tinubu launched into a three-day state go to to France, looking for to extend financial cooperation with Paris. That was the primary state go to to France by a Nigerian chief in additional than 20 years. In the course of the go to, Nigeria and France signed two main offers, together with a $300 million pact to develop crucial infrastructure, renewable power, transportation, agriculture, safety and healthcare in Nigeria.
Each nations additionally agreed to extend meals safety and develop Nigeria’s strong minerals sector. Additionally, two Nigerian banks, Zenith Financial institution and the United Financial institution for Africa (UBA) signed agreements to increase their operations into France. The President’s Particular Adviser on Info and Technique, Mr Bayo Onanuga, mentioned President Tinubu emphasised Nigeria’s flourishing monetary sector as a facilitator for overseas funding, notably from French enterprises, as a part of the drive to bolster meals safety. Tinubu reportedly defined that he was additionally trying to construct ties in training, youth engagement, innovation and power transition.
Then again, Macron’s workplace mentioned the journey is “a possibility to deepen the already dynamic relationship between France and Nigeria,” including that each leaders would additionally handle “shared values regarding finance, strong minerals, communication, commerce and funding.
On the floor, the offers look promising, however their particulars are opaque and due to this fact name for warning. Nigerians need to know the deliverables correctly reviewed by specialists in these particular areas to keep away from embarrassment to the nation in future. This needs to be a partnership of equals, and never one skewed to favour the European nation extra at Nigeria’s drawback. It should not be a master-servant relationship. Already, such a relationship has been the undoing of France in West Africa.
It’s appreciated that since President Tinubu has been making an attempt to draw investments to spice up Nigeria’s ailing economic system, he presumably noticed the French go to as a possibility, leveraging his relationship with Macron in his (Tinubu’s) days as governor of Lagos State. Extra so, President Macron had sought a renewed relationship in Africa following frosty ties with former colonies Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso in West Africa.
Paris is looking for to increase its affect within the continent to incorporate English-speaking nations after these allies reduce ties with France and swerved in the direction of Russia. Paris’ gravitation in the direction of English-speaking Africa indicators Macron’s want to reverse the nation’s declining affect on the continent, with visits to Nigeria in 2018, Ethiopia in 2019 and South Africa in 2021.
However why did these nations sever ties with France? They accused France of wielding overbearing political and financial affect on them. If really France is overbearing on its African allies, will Nigeria, one other African nation, have a special remedy after cementing this cooperation?
What precisely is Nigeria’s curiosity in France, which is shedding its grip on its former West African allies and appears determined to relaunch itself into Africa? Are these agreements actually needed, as a result of Nigeria is already France’s prime buying and selling companion in sub-Saharan Africa? Nigeria was France’s primary buying and selling companion in sub-Saharan Africa in 2023, adopted by South Africa, in response to the French customs authority.
Though it’s believed that France nonetheless holds important sway in African commerce regardless of competitors from China, India, and Turkey, her present score in Africa is just not precisely rosy. France is being seen as unduly exploiting mineral sources throughout the Sahel, in a way suggestive of an undermining of the most effective curiosity of these nations. Nigeria ought to due to this fact be sufficiently cautious to develop sufficient checks to guarantee that the agreements signed will usually be within the curiosity of each nations and never a one-sided settlement.
Contemplating the uncomplimentary roles France is believed to have performed within the crises in nations like Chad, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso; coupled together with her lengthy historical past of involvement within the Sahel area, it stays a damaging that nations related to France have been grappling with poverty and insecurity.
Nonetheless, it’s cheery that since Nigeria has no colonial historical past with France, her future relationship with France is just not anticipated to be outlined by France’s fractured relationship with the Sahel. However, any ties between Nigeria and France could also be considered suspiciously regarding the progress of the Financial Neighborhood of West African States (ECOWAS) nations, of which Nigeria is a frontrunner.
Due to this fact, as a frontrunner of ECOWAS, Nigeria ought to naturally train warning going into alliance with any nation whose insurance policies are thought of offensive by some members of the bloc. The alignment with Russia by military-controlled Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, have clashed with ECOWAS insurance policies. Because of this, these member states have pulled out of the bloc threatening to disintegrate it. Due to this fact, the curiosity of those former French allies also needs to be thought of, particularly as ECOWAS remains to be wooing them again into the fold.
Curiously, President Tinubu is clearly in love with France. That’s his most popular nation for medical tourism. Earlier than, throughout and after his election, the President often doesn’t miss the chance to go to France for medical checks, therapies or trip. Once more, the president appears to be comfy with some French enterprise companions.
By and huge, Nigerians are much more looking forward to a strong and flourishing economic system, they usually hope that these pacts will make that occur.
