Following President François Hollande's brief African tour this month came questions about France's development aid policy. After all critics say it is economic development and poverty reduction that offer the best prospect of keeping young people away
25th Jul 2014

Responsibility for foreign policy is primarily shared between the President François Hollande and the Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. The President's Africa Advisor is Hélène le Gal a career diplomat who served in Burkina Faso and who has headed
11th Jul 2014

In December next year France will host the next global climate summit the Conference of the Global Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and this is already a key theme of French diplomacy south of the Sah
11th Jul 2014

The latest development plan from President Macky Sall the Plan Sénégal émergent (PSE) has won praise from leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and pledges worth US$4.5 billion from the donor Consultative Group led by the World Bank and Europ
18th Apr 2014

Inconceivable though it seemed only a few months ago that the enfeebled 76-year-old President Abdelaziz Bouteflika could stand again after his stroke that is exactly what he is likely to do (AC Vol 54 No 15 Leadership in limbo & Vol 54 No 19 Boute
24th Jan 2014

In a policy paper entitled L'Afrique est Notre Avenir (Africa is Our Future) the Senate sought to lay out France's Africa policy and respond to China's growing influence on the continent. Foreign policy is typically the sole domain of the Elysée Palace
30th Nov 2013

Chad has frozen the activities of China National Petroleum Corporation after inspectors found the company was dumping waste oil in holes dug in the ground in the Bongor Basin. If the Chinese company wants to restart its business in Chad it now faces the
28th Aug 2013

Punitive action against a Chinese oil company following a tax dispute has not undercut Libreville-Beijing ties. Although the government revoked Sinopec-owned Addax Petroleum's oil permit in Obangue in December 2012 and last month broke up a ring of Chines
2nd Jul 2013

The aftermath of the suicide attacks on a French company and a military barracks on 23 May will test Niger’s security forces. With almost half of its military either in Mali or on the joint border the armed forces the protection of key targets will be a
7th Jun 2013

In early May Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo Mapon sent shockwaves through Kinshasa when he told the United Nations-backed Radio Okapi that the partnership between Congo-Kinshasa and China had run into 'a problem that needs to be examined in depth'.
31st May 2013