the Presidential Council for Africa: an unidentified object of communication

the Presidential Council for Africa: an unidentified object of communication

Set up by Emmanuel Macron to allow France to improve its image among African civil society, the Presidential Council for Africa has made a real progress in one year but remains primarily a communication tool.

The announcement of its creation had raised questions. A year later, the Presidential Council for Africa (CPA) Emmanuel Macron has only partially achieved its objectives. This body made up of about ten voluntary members from civil society, often bi-national, was launched with the aim of collecting "street" concerns, and in particular African youth. By providing a different vision of Africa, according to the Elysée, the CPA should be a complementary tool of traditional diplomacy and had the mission of formulating proposals capable of renewing Franco-African relations.

Emmanuel Macron understood one thing: the image of France with the African youth is not good and its influence on the continent in decline. An observation highlighted by a parliamentary report dating from 2015, entitled "The stability and development of Francophone Africa". Written by the former deputy of Alpes-Maritimes, Jean-Claude Guibal (LR), he stressed that "the perception of the population [was] an element that [should] be valued very carefully".

Without doubt, in general, should we also see the fact that our country does not seem to have taken into account the evolution of African societies, the rise of new aspirations on the part of the youth, with which the gerontocracies in power are no longer in contact, if they ever were. Our country has not been able to distance itself from the ruling classes that it has always supported, and, above all, has not yet connected with the younger generations, who will make tomorrow's Africa ", could we read in this information report, which also posed "the question of the look of our armed forces on the ground", seen as "liberators at first, occupation forces in a second".

The task of the CPA was not simple, especially since its creation was poorly perceived by French diplomats. The latter, fearing that this new structure will encroach on their flower beds, have not always facilitated the work of its members. "It's true that there was a form of interrogation at the beginning because the CPA was an Ovni in the institutional landscape, recognizes Diane Binder, senior executive at Suez and member of the CPA, contacted by France 24. It has therefore We had to do a lot of pedagogy so that the institutions already in place see us as complementary ".

Capturing unconventional signals that our administrations have never been able to capture "

Despite these difficulties and lack of resources, the CPA went to work by meeting once a week in the premises of the French Agency for Development (AFD). First to prepare the first trip of the Head of State to Africa in late November, and his speech in Ouagadougou. Then to implement their proposals.

Our role is different from that of diplomats because members of the CPA, who are regularly in contact with local people through their professional activity, are more in touch with the real country, said Jules-Armand Aniambossou, former ambassador of Benin in France, now coordinator of the CPA, contacted by France 24. We can therefore capture the unconventional signals that our administrations have never managed to capture and help these young people, these entrepreneurs, these women to shape their projects in the areas of education , health, agriculture, industry, digital, culture. "

Our goal is to show that we can talk about Africa differently, on topics where we do not necessarily expect, says Karim Sy, a contractor member of the CPA, contacted by Rs news. President Macron wants to establish a new dialogue, to involve more people, to have a direct exchange with the youth. That's what we're trying to put in place. "

Conseil Présidentiel pour l’Afrique (CPA)@CPAfrique

La Tech africaine à l’honneur à @VivaTech: un soutien fort du Président @EmmanuelMacron et un engagement du CPA à amplifier ses efforts pour accompagner les start-ups africaines, avec @AFD_France.

09:26 - 24 mai 2018

• 44
• 23 personnes parlent à ce sujet

In concrete terms, the CPA is at the origin of several announced projects or events organized during the past year: launch of the Season of African cultures 2020 in France, preparation of the Africa-France 2020 Summit on Sustainable Cities, opening of the platform sport and development, co-organization in Bordeaux of the first summer university of African diasporas or establishment of a pavilion dedicated to Africa at VivaTech, a global meeting of start-ups and innovation . All these initiatives allow, according to Jules-Armand Aniambossou, to "create human bonds" and "to make known what Africa knows how to do".

"The CPA does not allow to change the French policy on fundamental subjects"

The CPA has also brought a new perspective on development aid. "On the sidelines of VivaTech, we brought together some fifty African entrepreneurs to reflect on how the billion euros promised by Emmanuel Macron for SMEs in Africa could be spent," said Diane Binder, who attended the meeting. Taking the time to listen to the needs of the people directly concerned by this aid is new.The proposals resulting from this brainstorming workshop were then transmitted to AFD and the Public Investment Bank (BPI). .

By going to the field and talking with local stakeholders, the CPA also realized that many projects that could have a direct impact on the daily lives of citizens were not seen because of lack of funding. "Traditionally, French aid provided by existing institutions focuses more on large projects, says Jules-Armand Aniambossou, and many small projects that do not require large sums could be realized if the French embassies, on site , financed them directly, without necessarily bringing the demand back to Paris. " This proposal of the CPA was taken up in the report of the deputy Hervé Berville (LREM), handed on August 27th to Emmanuel Macron, and on the modernization of the policy of aid to development.

However, despite these very real advances, the CPA may have trouble changing the image tarnished of France with the African youth. "France is not in a position to respond to the expectations of African youth, given its distrust, and its illegitimacy with it precludes such ambition," wrote a year ago. essayist Yann Gwet in a column published by Le Monde Afrique.

Contacted by France 24, the latter believes that the work done by the CPA in its first year of existence confirms that it is only a communication strategy. "The image of France has evolved in part of African youth, sensitive to the symbol of highlighting modern profiles, whether entrepreneurs or creators.But this youth to whom Emmanuel Macron is addressed represents the elite and is not representative, "says Yann Gwet.

For the essayist, to show what is positive in Africa or to change development aid is a good thing, but it remains, according to him, ancillary subjects. "The CPA has no power and does not allow to change the French policy on fundamental subjects, he regrets." On the CFA franc, on the presence of the French army, on the attitude of Paris vis- With respect to the African autocrats, there has been no change In this respect, the work of the CPA allows the French president to have a positive image with a certain youth while preserving the fundamentals of French relations. -African on the bottom, it's pretty clever, but it's communication. "

by/ france 24