In Africa, it seems like colonization never left. It is as though the last vestiges of colonization we tried to shake off got stuck using magnetic buttons and left neo colonization in its wake. One even wonders if we ever took off the cloaks of colonialism in the first place.
The French clearly, as clear as the United nations can see, have a firm grip on the banking system of ex-colonial states. All francophone currencies are domiciled in France and the countries still pay about $500 billion every year, as colonial tax.
14 african countries are obliged by France, through a colonial pact, to put 85% of their foreign reserve into France Central Bank under the control of French Minister of Finance.
The African former colonies impacted by these colonial taxes include Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger Republic, Senegal, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, and Gabon
Through “a colonial pact,” France arm-twisted these countries to “put 85 per cent of their foreign reserve into France Central Bank,” under the control of the French minister of finance, journalist Mawuna Koutonin wrote in 2014.
When French President Macron hosted his French-African conference in France, I asked what genuine support and love he has for Africa. Now, don’t be deceived, no foreign leader truly loves Africa, or Africans. They all play the script of their national ideology and illusionary superiority as pointed by Chimamanda Adichie.
I think it is high time Africans told France to preach the Gospel within their borders and let the economies of Francophone countries be. There have been only brickbats since the French came with their boats filled with French military skirmish units to trade and pilfer resources in West Africa, after conniving with the British at the conference in 1890 to share West Africa.
It has been a medley of grabbing and plundering. Following in their steps and perhaps to earn their favours, when African leaders steal they take the loot to France.
To each his own. African history will never forget that President Felix Houphouet-Boigny robbed Côte d’Ivoire blind and built massive mansions in Paris without France asking questions. To recent times now, President Paul Biya, of Cameroon has been living in a Geneva hotel for 3 years. These nefarious acts have become so common place that speaking up against them now seems like breaking the law or upsetting a fraudulent ecosystem.
Africa’s famous resources which stretch way beyond material resources have remained been the attractive commodities. In the 1800s it was palm oil, used in the production of lubricants in Europe; then the hunger moved to crude oil, and then copper, and then bauxite and the list is endless.
It is appalling that Africa finds it quite difficult to do anything grand for itself with its gifted resources. Its citizens continue to suffer and the waste by governments continue.
With the recent increase in international loans receipt, viz-a-viz governments borrowing to fund projects, neo-colonization buries its roots deeper through loans. Guinea recently received a loan twice the size of its 10billion dollar GDP. With a 20 billion dollar loan, your guess is as good as mine.
Same foreign loans choked the Zambian government, as their ports and other infrastructure became foreign “take-over” simply because they could not repay their loans.
Ironically, the current African Union building was built as a greek gift, to curry favour for in-roads into Africa. Equally vexing is the fact thatAfrican countries do not seek loans from other African nation states.
Africa, the time to tip the scale is now.