Political activist and former deputy national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, on Tuesday, May 12, urged African leaders to reject renewed engagement with France and instead deepen strategic cooperation with the United States.
Frank made the call in a statement reacting to the ongoing Africa Forward: Africa-France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth Summit, in which French President Emmanuel Macron and several African leaders, including Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, are participating in Nairobi.
He said decades of French involvement in Africa had not translated into meaningful development, despite the continent’s vast natural resources.
“France has nothing more to offer Africa. African leaders must not fall into any new arrangement that will drag the continent back into economic and political bondage,” Frank said.
Timi Frank criticises France’s role in Francophone Africa
Frank argued that recent political developments in countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger reflected what he described as growing public awareness of alleged exploitation under French influence. He said military takeovers in parts of the Sahel had exposed long-standing grievances against France’s role in the region.
“Since the military takeover in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, Africans have seen clearly that France was only using the people and their resources without giving anything meaningful in return,” he said.
Frank also described France’s historical influence in parts of Africa as “modern slavery,” alleging that Paris had often supported political leaders aligned with its interests. He cited countries including Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Benin Republic and Cameroon as examples of states he claimed were still heavily influenced by France.
France has repeatedly denied accusations of neo-colonialism, maintaining that its partnerships in Africa are based on mutual interests and development cooperation.
Timi Frank calls for stronger US engagement
Frank said African countries should instead strengthen bilateral relations with the United States, particularly in the areas of security cooperation, election integrity, trade and investment.
“We believe Africa will get a better deal with the United States than with France,” he said. “The areas we should focus on are insecurity, election integrity and stronger bilateral economic ties.”
He also called for deeper collaboration with Washington in tackling terrorism and strengthening democratic institutions across the continent.
Frank, who also serves as the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, said Africa should renegotiate its engagement with global powers in ways that prioritise citizens’ welfare.
“Wherever we feel the United States has not done well in the past, it is our responsibility to identify those areas and renegotiate better terms that will benefit Africa,” he said.
He expressed optimism that future United States leadership would pursue more mutually beneficial relations with Africa based on shared democratic values and economic cooperation.
Meanwhile, at the Franco-African summit in Kenya, President Macron stepped up to the podium while another speaker was addressing the audience. He intervened to ask participants to reduce the noise and show attentiveness, ensuring the event could continue smoothly. “Excuse me, everybody! Hey, hey, hey! I'm sorry, guys. But it's impossible to speak about culture, to have people like that, super-inspired, coming here, making a speech with such noise. So, this is a total lack of respect,” he said.
