French President Macron Kicks off Africa Tour in Djibouti

French President Emmanuel Macron kicks off a 4-day trip to Africa this Monday starting with Djibouti. On Tuesday 12th he will move on to Ethiopia and then to Kenya on Wednesday 13th.

Djibouti will be his first stop where he lands on Monday evening, to meet with President Ismail Omar Guelleh. While in the country, Macron will also visit France’s largest military contingent based in Africa with its 1,450 troops.

Macron will be the second French president to travel to Djibouti in 20 years, after Nicolas Sarkozy in 2010. Djibouti holds a strategic position in the Horn of Africa and hosts a number of foreign military bases including the United States, Japan, Germany, Italy and more recently China, which has established an army support base there.

The Elysee Palace says that the Djibouti trip will serve to strengthten ties with a traditional ally and, apart from a defence cooperation treaty signed in 2011, there are a number of economic dossiers to examine.

The rapprochement between Ethioipa and Eritrea, along with the increasing influence of China, have re-shuffled cards in the Horn of Africa. And France intends to consolidate, as well as increase, its influence in the region.

In September of last year, following a visit to Djibouti, a group of French members of parliament stressed the need to reinforce France’s presence in the country. They said Paris needs to focus on three sectors: military, economic and cultural.

In an interview to Jeune Afrique magazine in 2015, President Guelleh deplored the absence of France. He said it was as if France had little consideration for the country, adding: “there has been little investment and no ministerial visit in years.”

Macron’s visit, despite being a short one of only some 15 hours, aims to dispel this prevailing sentiment in Djibouti.

Ethiopia & Lalibela Visit

On Tuesday 12th, President Macron is expected to be in Ethiopia in the afternoon and then travel to Lalibela with Prime minister Abiy Ahmed.

During Prime minister’s Ahmed visit to France last year, President Macron declared that France will contribute to the renovation and restoration of the Lalibela site.

Macron is also expected to meet Ethiopia’s President Sahle Work Zewde, appointed to that position last year by the cabinet. The career diplomat studied in the southern city of Montpellier and was Ethiopia’s ambassador to France between 2002 and 2006.

Before leaving for Kenya on Wednesday 13th, President Macron is due to meet the chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat.

One Planet Summit in Kenya

As the last leg of this Africa tour ends in Kenya, it will be the first time a French president has visited the country.

Along with Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta, President Macron will chair the One Planet Summit this Thursday.

Upon arrival on Wednesday, the two presidents are due to go to Nairobi’s central railway station, where France intends to work on a rapid train service.

Kenya’s Foreign Affairs ministry described current relations between the two countries having reached an “all-time high”.

The French delegation of ministers and businessmen are also to conduct “discussions on bilateral matters, including trade, manufacturing, infrastructure support, and peace and security.”