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Old friends
France has had a long centuries-long relationship with Africa and in particular with the countries that it colonized until the early 1960s. Those countries, mainly in West and Central Africa, but also in North Africa as well, are home to over 120 million people.
Unlike Britain, the other major colonizer of Africa, France’s post-colonial ties have remained firm, through major upheaval and economic change. But in recent years those ties had started to fray around the edges, with the increasingly tense debate around the CFA, the two common currencies of West and Central Africa, which are still guaranteed by the French treasury.
Enter president Emmanuel Macron. At 39, he became the youngest-ever president of the French republic, he’s widely credited with revitalizing France and elements of French self-belief. As the first president born after the majority of Francophone Africa gained independence, he’s made clear time and again he believes African countries can find their own way without paternalistic European leadership, though he’s also had missteps in getting that point across.
The French president also leans into a “make France great again” philosophy. He’s determined for France to be seen as a modern country, leading on the 21st century global stage, particularly when it comes to business and trade.
Macron has visited Africa seven times, touching down in nine countries since becoming president last May. He sees Africa playing an important role in bolstering France, its business and a Francophone-first philosophy. Not all African Francophone thinkers agree with that philosophy.
His stated interested in Africa was clear to see at the, Vivatech technology show this year, where he toured the packed exhibition hall in Paris and made a point of visiting the Africa stands with Rwandan president Paul Kagame, taking selfies with African entrepreneurs.
On the main stage Macron said the French development agency (AFD) will be backing a new digital $76 million (€65 million) digital project which will offer funding for African startups. “African startups have energy but the big providers of development aid and financiers have not adapted to that. We ourselves are too slow, too hesitant,” said Macron speaking on stage switching between French and English, the language of Silicon Valley.
He said the fund would work “to fill the gaps in the support with small sums ranging from €30,000 to €50,000, which is what startups need.”
— Yinka Adegoke, Quartz Africa editor
Stories from this week
Zimbabwe is conflicted between economics and morality when it comes to marijuana. After introducing plans to license cannabis growers for medical and research purposes, Zimbabwe’s government reversed its position and shelved the plans last week. Tawanda Karombo in Harare finds a country tussling with a way to increase revenue for its struggling economy while responding to moral concerns about drug abuse.
South Africans are among the hardest workers in the world. Nearly 12% of South Africa’s workforce spends more than 60 hours a week on the job, found an OECD survey. Those working hours aren’t in line with the country’s labor laws, which prohibits more than 45 hours a week and no more than 10 hours in overtime.
Why establishing a sustainable automotive industry is key to powering Africa’s economy. As African economies grow, so does the appetite for personal consumption, the desire for freedom of mobility, and the demand for personal cars. In this excerpt from his book Motoring Africa, Edward Hightower argues for sustainably industrializing automobile production as a way to boost overall innovation and growth.
Why Sierra Leone appointed its first chief innovation officer. In a bid to put scientific research and innovation at the core of his office, president Julius Maada Bio appointed Moinina David Sengeh as Sierra Leone’s first chief innovation officer. Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu looked into the 31-year-old Harvard and MIT graduate’s life and how his commitment to science elevated him to this position.
China doesn’t want racist facial recognition software so it’s expanding its database to Africa. Zimbabwe’s government signed a strategic partnership with a Chinese company to begin a large-scale facial recognition program to use in security and law enforcement. Lynsey Chutel writes on the valuable data Chinese AI technologists stand to harness once the program rolls out.
The best wisdom from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Harvard speech. The Nigerian author addressed the Harvard Class of 2018, in a talk that combined both personal experiences and universal truth. Key among the messages she urged graduates to uphold was to respect the importance of intent using the mispronunciation of African names as an example and for graduates develop a “fantastic bullshit detector”.
Chart of the Week
Piracy off Somalia’s coast made a strong comeback in 2017. After a steep decline in the last few years, Somali pirates undertook a record number of attacks and kidnappings in 2017. Abdi Latif Dahir explains why piracy is making a return, its cost to shipping businesses, and the geopolitical wrangling in the Horn of Africa that is complicating maritime security.
Other Things We Liked
The multimillion-dollar theft that cost Malawi’s Joyce Banda the presidency. In 2014, the “cashgate” scandal in Malawi involved widespread theft of public money by civil servants who bought homes and stuffed hundreds of thousands of dollars in their cars. In Medium, Shaun Raviv delves into the scandal, uncovering a mystery that roped in a son, a housemaid, public officials, and the presidency.
The rebel plot that helped free The Gambia. During his 22-year reign of the West African nation, Yahya Jammeh ruled with an iron fist, cracking down on dissent and promising to rule for “a billion years.” In The Guardian, Philip Róin and Mikkel Danielsen outline the story of the unlikely rebels in and out of the country and the 25-page document that helped them end Jammeh’s rule last year.
How coastal erosion is endangering Senegal’s legendary fishing hub. The island of Saint-Louis is a United Nations world heritage site, a sandy peninsula with preserved colonial architecture that is home to a traditional fishing community. In the New York Times, Aurelien Breeden writes on how eroding shorelines are threatening a centuries-old way of life.
Keep an eye on
African Union on operationalizing Africa’s single air market (May 25-28). Ministers from 25 countries are meeting in Togo’s capital Lomé to negotiate and finalize the single air transport initiative, which aims to make intra-African travel easier and more affordable.
US to send experimental Ebola treatment to DR Congo. As the central African nation continues to battle the outbreak and spread of the Ebola virus, health officials in the US said they would send a treatment called mAb114 that was made from the antibodies of an Ebola survivor in the Congo in 1995.
Kenya corruption arrests. Officials are reviewing evidence and statements about mega corruption scandals that saw over $107 million stolen from both the cereal board and the National Youth Service.
*This brief was produced while watching This Is Nigeria by Falz (Nigeria), his take on Childish Gambino’s This is America, which touches on everything from police brutality and herdsmen killings to the local opioid crisis and corruption.
Our best wishes for a productive and thought-filled week ahead. Please send any news, comments, suggestions, Zimbabwean cannabis licenses and African-friendly facial recognition software, to africa@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter at @qzafrica for updates throughout the day. This newsletter was compiled by Abdi Latif Dahir and edited by Yinka Adegoke.
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