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Extra-African powers and the crisis of regionalism in Africa: background to and reflections on France’s engagement with Africa

In the 1960s, African leaders, irrespective of their ideological orientations, size of their nations and indeed, level of national development, did believe that the futures of their countries lie in collective self-reliance efforts. To achieve this lofty objective, various regionalist frameworks were designed and instrumentalized, albeit, to transform the continent but the material and spiritual conditions of the majority of the inhabitants have not improved. Whatever aspect one considers – security, foreign investment, trade, information technology and skilled labour force – the continent outlook gives little or no cause for celebration. What could be responsible for this state of affairs or put differently, what accounts for the crisis of regionalism in Africa? This paper sought answer(s) to these questions in the light of West and Central African experience under French colonialism. Drawing on secondary historical data and leaning on structural dependency platform spiced with colonialism thesis, it argued that la Francophonie, the assimilatory base of French imperialism, and its legacy, has to a reasonable extent, thwarted efforts at institutionalizing regional integration in the sub-region. The paper concluded that given the prevailing realities on ground, the structure may persist unless the forces that incubated it are confronted frontally.