Author: Alexandre Varel

Very critical of the attitude of French banks in Africa, which have all abandoned this continent in recent years, Emmanuel Macron has tasked his Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, with a mission to convince these same institutions to return. The head of government has appointed Hervé Berville for this temporary mission, according to a decree dated...

President of the Refoundation of the Republic of Madagascar (PRRM) following a coup that brought him to power last October in Antananarivo, Michaël Randrianirina will be received at the Elysée on February 24. During lunch with his counterpart Emmanuel Macron, the overthrower of Andry Rajoelina will have to convince of the relevance of the transition...

Return to power in early 2024, Donald Trump has never shown any appetite for Africa. The 47th President of the United States did not make any trips to this continent during his first term (2017 – 2021), and often reserves the worst insults and stereotypes for it, a sign of his ignorance of current events...

Transfer of permits, “Nigerianization” policy, unilateral decision, unexpected tax adjustments… The coup by General Abdourahamane Tiani in July 2023 marked the beginning of endless hassles for China in Niger. These have still not subsided to this day. Following in the footsteps of the French company Orano (formerly Areva), expelled from the country before the nationalization of its assets in June 2025, the China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) is now bearing the brunt of the junta’s sovereignist policy. Under constant pressure for months, the local subsidiaries of the Chinese giant, including the Zinder Refinery Company (Soraz) which started operations in 2011…

Appointed at the beginning of the year as the new deputy to Secretary of State Marc Rubio, Christopher Landau is dedicating his first trips to Africa. After Egypt on January 27th, the number 2 at the State Department is set to visit Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti. Scheduled until February 1st, this East African tour comes...

The Ambassadors’ Conference, on January 8, at the Elysée Palace, was an opportunity for Emmanuel Macron to emphasize the importance of Africa in French diplomatic strategy. The African continent represents one of France’s “major partnerships”, which did not prevent him from launching a heavy attack against the French economic environment. “Where we need to improve...

ionalist and professor of public law known for his left-wing commitments, Albert Bourgi passed away on January 7, in Paris, in the early afternoon. He had just celebrated his 84th birthday. Born in Dakar on January 1, 1942 and raised in the shadow of his father Mahmoud Bourgi, a prominent merchant and influential figure in...

On December 15 in London, British Minister for Development, Baroness Jenny Chapman, launched the new UK strategy in Africa in front of African ambassadors and accredited High Commissioners. In her opening remarks, she praised the policies of her predecessors in terms of Public Development Aid, lamenting, however, the lack of actions aimed at creating jobs...

The last industrial “empire” of France in Africa, the brewer and soda producer is in the midst of a serious internal struggle between the heirs of its founder, Pierre Castel, 99 years old, and the new all-powerful CEO. Appointed CEO of the Castel group in October 2023, Grégory Clerc imposed his cutting-edge style from the start, aiming to clean up the Augean stables and distance himself from a burdensome and even dusty family management. Having been the historic tax lawyer, as well as the confidant of the patriarch Pierre Castel, born in 1926, the man knows all the secrets and…

The Paris Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation on December 19 for “organized theft with the aim of serving the interests of a foreign power” after the disappearance of 1,000 tons of uranium. This shipment was part of the stocks of the French operator Orano, expelled from the country in June, from its Arlit site in...

Caught in the trap of international competition and the rise of anti-French sentiment, French industrial giants are struggling more and more to maintain their positions. Analysis. In Burkina Faso, the distribution activities of Total Energies* have officially fallen into the hands of businessman and banker Idrissa Nassa. Announced last February, this acquisition was finalized a...

As the largest party in France in terms of number of deputies and popularity in polls, the National Rally (RN) is cultivating its African networks ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Although it still struggles, at present, to truly structure its African policy, this party should focus on this continent to illustrate its program in...

Germany has committed to a funding of €49 million for ECOWAS to strengthen the interventions of the sub-regional organization in several areas including peace, security, and health in West Africa. This funding is divided into financial cooperation projects (€32.8 million) and technical cooperation projects (€16.2 million). This partnership was signed in Abuja, early November, between...

Facing the rise of jihadist threat in their northern regions, the two West African countries are inevitably coming closer together to ensure their security at a time when France is trying to preserve its influence. While not new, relations between the Russian Federation and Benin and Togo have significantly strengthened in recent weeks in the...

On trial in France since November 13, former Congolese minister Roger Lumbala must answer to charges of “crimes against humanity” as the leader of the politico-military movement Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie-National (RCD-N). He is accused of having planned and orchestrated the widespread perpetration of torture and inhumane acts in the East of the Democratic...

He is the new occupant of the chancery on Rue Raphaël, in the very chic 16th arrondissement of Paris. Alfred Nguia Banda was appointed, on October 23, as the new ambassador of Gabon in France. A country he knows well as he sought refuge there during the contested second term of Ali Bongo (2016-2023). Originally...

Imprisoned at the Prison de la Santé in Paris as of October 21, Nicolas Sarkozy has managed to maintain his role as director of the Accor and Lagardère groups. These positions are particularly important in his strategy of influence in Africa. The former French head of state was first appointed as a director of the...

While the results of the presidential election on October 12 in Cameroon will be announced on October 26, the vote is expected to leave little doubt about a victory for the incumbent president, Paul Biya, 92, even though his main opponent, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, already claims to be the winner. A new and eighth term...

Interview with Colonel Peer de Jong, former aide-de-camp to Presidents François Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac, co-founder of the Themiis Institute. Interview conducted by Alexandre Varel. Drones are redefining warfare in Africa. Once reserved for a few powerful nations, these flying machines are now emerging as a tool of technological and military sovereignty. Ten African countries...

The use of these equipments marks a turning point in armed conflicts on the continent. Many new markets coveted by international equipment manufacturers. Every day for almost three years, the Russo-Ukrainian conflict has provided clear evidence: whether used for territory surveillance or military purposes, drones have made a thunderous entrance into the daily lives of...

With each new regime in Burkina Faso comes a cohort of new figures from the business world. While personalities like Alizeta Ouédraogo, Lassine Diawara, Mahamadi Savadogo, or the billionaire Oumarou Kanazoé were prominent under Blaise Compaoré, and Mahamoudou Bonkoungou emerged under Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, it is now the turn of Ali Konaté, head of...

On September 8, when the Constitutional Council of Ivory Coast rejected the candidacy of former Prime Minister Pascal Affi Nguessan for the presidential election on October 25, it dashed the hopes and work of his team in the midst of campaign preparations. Among this team is Frenchwoman Geneviève Goëtzinger. Now working in strategic and political...

Under threat of prosecution for his management during his second and final term (2019-2024), former Senegalese president Macky Sall has enlisted the services of French criminal lawyer Pierre Olivier Sur to ensure his defense. Currently defending former Gabonese president Ai Bongo and his family alongside Me François Zimmeray, the co-founder of the Paris-based law firm...

Me Clara Gérard-Rodriguez, one of the lawyers of Ali, Sylvia, and Noureddine Bongo, spent the morning of October 1st in the office of the two investigating judges of the “Crimes against Humanity” division of the Paris Tribunal de Grande Instance (TGI), in Paris. This working session was part of the investigation conducted by the two...

Under the threat of a life sentence for “endangering state security” handed down by the Ivorian justice system in 2021, Guillaume Soro is remaining extremely discreet as the presidential election on October 25 approaches in Ivory Coast. The former Prime Minister and President of the National Assembly from 2012 to 2019 has not spoken out...

Candidate for the presidential election on October 25 in Côte d’Ivoire, businessman Jean-Louis Billon, leader of Sifca, the country’s most powerful private group, is preparing to campaign for this election. In this exclusive interview with Financial Afrik, the former Minister of Commerce, Handicrafts and SME Promotion in the Kablan Duncan government discusses his project, his economic program, the situation of the PDCI-RDA, and his disagreements with Tidjane Thiam. Interview conducted by Alexandre Varel. You are campaigning for the presidential election on October 25 at the head of the Democratic Congress (CODE), a coalition of about twenty formations. Do you plan…

A few days after his candidacy for the presidential election on October 25 in Côte d’Ivoire was rejected by the Constitutional Council, Tidjane Thiam flew to the United States in mid-September to discuss the political situation in his country and defend his position. The former head of Credit Suisse and president of PDCI-RDA notably met...

For several weeks, lawyer Mathias Chichportich has been active in international media, as well as in several defense procedures for his client, Ivorian Tidjane Thiam. Barred from running in the presidential election on October 25th, after his candidacy was rejected by the Ivorian Constitutional Council on September 8th, the leader of the Democratic Party of...