France’s renewed economic push into Africa is confronting a continent increasingly seeking greater control over the extraction, processing and commercialisation of its natural resources, Executive Director of Pan-Africa podcast, Panel 54, Martin Minns, has said.
Minns said African countries were no longer content to play a passive role in foreign investment deals, but were increasingly seeking to determine the terms under which their resources are developed and traded.
He made the assessment in a commentary on France’s evolving strategy in Africa, made available to journalists on Wednesday.
“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.
According to him, the changing approach of African governments has resulted in a stronger role for the continent in negotiating investment agreements and structuring deals intended to secure greater economic returns from its natural wealth.
Minns said the development had become particularly relevant to France as it seeks to reshape its economic engagement with Africa, including expanding its attention beyond its traditional Francophone sphere to English-speaking countries in East Africa.
He cited the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, as an indication of what he described as France’s emerging geographical “pivot” towards East Africa.
The development comes against the backdrop of strained relations between France and a number of West African countries in recent years, including Mali, following the withdrawal of French forces after the end of Operation Barkhane.
Rather than interpreting the shift as France abandoning Africa, Minns said it should be viewed as an attempt by Paris to reposition its economic and strategic interests within a changing continental landscape.
He argued that the Africa France is engaging today is substantially different from the environment in which its previous relationships were established, particularly in terms of resource sovereignty and the bargaining position of African governments.
For France to establish durable economic partnerships under the emerging conditions, Minns said it would have to adapt to the new investment environment and negotiate on terms that recognise the changing expectations of African countries.
“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, according to Minns, offered an indication of the scale of France’s renewed economic interest in the region, with Paris seeking about 250 deals and agreements with East African trade partners, alongside major investment commitments announced by French President Emmanuel Macron.
He said Kenya’s hosting of the summit was also significant given the country’s position within the East African economy, citing reported 4.6 per cent GDP growth in 2025.
Minns, however, acknowledged that France’s renewed engagement could face resistance from sections of the African public wary of another phase of Western economic influence on the continent.
“Not everyone will welcome the move,” he wrote, stressing that France’s new approach remained unproven.
He nevertheless said the scale of the investment commitments suggested that France’s engagement was intended as more than a diplomatic gesture, describing it as “a strategic push to become a core partner to East Africa.”
For African countries, Minns said, the critical issue would be whether the emerging partnerships translate into greater local participation and economic benefits through resource processing, investment, trade and employment.
His assessment suggests that France’s renewed African strategy is unfolding in a markedly different environment—one in which African governments are increasingly asserting their interests in determining how the continent’s natural wealth is developed and how the resulting economic value is distributed.
