BAZE UNIVERSITY ABUJA
Post Graduate School
IRD 715 23A - POLITICS OF FRANCOPHONE AFRICA
Department of International Relations and Diplomacy
Lecturer: Dr. Tanko Mahmood Ahmed, fwc
Week 2: Mon 23 Jan 2023
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND TO THE POLITICS
OF FRANCOPHONE AFRICA

Background
•Modern African political structures and
processes were greatly influenced by
the continent’s colonial past.
•The two major colonial powers in Africa
were Britain and France.
•The French are known for striengent
policies of controlling their colonies and
subjects.

PARTITION OF AFRICA BY EUROPEAN POWERS
• France was a major player at the 1885 Berlin
Coference where the African continent was
partitioned and divided among the European
Powers.
• This marked the advent of modern nation-
states in Africa, the way we know them
today.

AFRICA OF THE PAST
•Before then, the African continent was
graced by empires, kingdoms, and small
entities.
•These geo-political entities were
subdued by Europen colonists and
subjected to social, economic and
political changes.

Degree of Influence
• The key to understanding the historical background to
the ‘Politics of Francophone Africa’ is through the
great influence exerted by France on its former
colonies.
• Government, politics, business, media, education,
culture, official language, foreign policies and national
planning were greatly influenced from the center in
France.
• However, some remarkable changes begin to appear
within the rapidly changing global environment.

FRANCOPHONE AFRICAN COUNTRIES
*Algeria *Benin *Burkina Faso *Burundi
*Cameroon *Central African Republic
*Chad *Comoros *Congo DR *Congo
*Djibouti *Equatorial Guinea *Morocco
*Réunion and Mayotte *Gabon *Guinea
*Ivory Coast *Madagascar *Mali *Niger
*Rwanda *Senegal *Seychelles *Togo *Tunisia

FRANCOPHONE AFRICAN FORMER
COLONIES

FRENCH COLONIAL POLICIES IN AFRICA
• Assimilation:
Absorbs colonial subjects into the French Society
• Association:
Cooperation between the Ruler and the Ruled
• Development:
Colonies as Estates and Enterprises
• Labour and Taxation:
Adaptation of traditional Slavery and Subservient

French Assimilationist Colonial Policy
• The unique feature of french colonialism in Africa
was the policy of assimulation
• Designed to assimilate and transform all Africans
in “French” colonies into black French men and
women.
• African traditional cultures, economies, and politics
had to be eliminated in order to accomplish the
goal assimilating all Africans into French domain.
• This process was therefore implemented by harsh
brutal means against resistance.

Politics of Francophone Africa as product
of French Colonial Policies
• Discuss the impact of the French Colonial
policies of Assimilation and Association on
the Politics of Francophone Africa.
• As you review the attached article on
‘French Colonial Policies’ in 300-500 words
• Assignment due by Friday 27 January 2023.