Ever since the coup happened in Niger two weeks ago, and ECOWAS started beating war drums, there has been an uptick in African pride and patriotism. And the social media space is not left out. Commentators and Activists on social media are calling for the head of France for exploiting Africa for so long. France must be expelled from Africa they chorus!
And I largely agree.
The socio-economic and political practices and operations of France in post-independent African nations have largely had a net negative effect. Their selfish and self-driven intervention in Libya has brought chaos, small arms and terrorists across the Sahel and all the way down to Nigeria.
In a previous article of mine titled “On Niger’s Uranium, Lions and Sheep”, I highlighted France’s 63-year financial misadventure in Niger Republic and how two companies officially owned by the Government of France have been mining over 90% of Niger’s Uranium deposits since their independence in August of 1960. In those 63 years, not only have they (France) made returns of only 5.5% to Niger, but they have also left in their wake a tale of woe.
Investigations carried out by Sherpa NGO, an international group of lawyers that promotes corporate social responsibility, discovered that workers in Niger’s Uranium mines were not informed of health risks, were not given the most basic protection measures, and were not always treated if they developed lung cancer. Long-term inhalation exposure to radon, a gas formed by the breakdown of uranium, has been linked to lung cancer. Furthermore, over the years, in resource-rich African countries like DRC, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Angola, we see a pattern of violence and militarization largely driven by the willingness of foreign governments to provide military and financial support that help guarantee continued access to those resources.
In Niger, this mix is even more violently volatile because of political instability in Libya, armed rebellion in Northern Niger, and the presence of multiple terrorist groups in the region including, JNIM, Islamic State West Africa (ISWA), Islamic State Greater Sahara (ISGS), Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Al Murabitoun, Ansar Dine, Katiba Macina and of course, Boko Haram. Add to this mix, the presence of a US Military Drone Base with the ability to strike as far as Libya and Nigeria; the presence of 1,100 US troops largely stationed around the Arlit Airport, and another 1,500 French troops largely stationed in Niamey, and you will appreciate that as Wyclef Jean sang in his 1997 hit song, Anything Can Happen.
As a matter of fact, things have started happening. A few days ago on Friday the 11th of August, thousands of very noisy and agitated Nigeriens carrying Russian and Nigerien flags gathered at Niamey’s popular Escadrille Roundabout just a few blocks away from the French Military Base in Niamey, chanting “down with France” and demanding the immediate withdrawal of all French troops from Niger.
Read also: Niger: It is dangerous for Tinubu to listen to external people -Ogunlewe
Tensions are indeed high.
These tensions are now being further escalated and driven to more extremes by social media and its sometimes sensational news. Take the case of Dr Arikana Chihombori-Quao, the very smart, very erudite female medical doctor turned activist, who was fired from her post as AU Permanent Representative to the United States of America on October 7th 2019. Some of her old posts and videos are now being resurrected and shared on social media.
In one of them, she said:
“Today, France is taking out of Francophone Africa over US$500 billion. We, the Africans, the poor countries, are giving France US$500 billion year-in and year out. Africa must tell France that the $500 billion you are taking out of Africa every year, no more”
I applaud Dr Quao, her boldness, her tenacity, her vision and her brilliant articulation and communication of said vision. I also share that vision of Africa.
An Africa where Africans are left by foreign governments to determine the fate of Africa. An Africa where we get just compensation for our minerals. An Africa where a good portion of our resources are converted to value-added products. An Africa where foreigners, especially foreigners of the meddlesome West, do not abuse and misuse their military, financial, and information resource-superiority to manufacture problems which they then turn around to maximize. An Africa of Africans, for Africans, by Africans.
And this isn’t too much to ask. After all, An Africa of Africans, for Africans, by Africans, is in the true Spirit of Democracy, which they swear by, and which they posit to uphold – even at the cost of Western lives.
So I share this great vision of Africa with Dr Quao. I however do not share the tendency to deploy faulty or false data in an attempt to achieve it. This could lead to false equivalencies and conclusions that could have two potentially negative outcomes: Firstly, it could over-rile up the people. In an already tense up environment, this could lead to avoidable and costly violence and needless conflagration. Secondly, building a case on the wrong foundation and with wrong data could lead to an outcome where you march ‘aluta continua’ with maximum determination, only for your entire case to fall apart in the end because of its intrinsic and inherent falsehood and contradictions.
One such falsehood is the figure that the now-viral Dr Quao is sharing: France takes $ 500 billion out of Africa annually.
Let’s put this figure in perspective.
Niger mines an average of 3,000 tonnes of Uranium a year. The spot price for Uranium internationally was $40/lb last year, $43/lb last month, and $57/lb last week. This relatively new high price is driven by current events in Niger. For calculation purposes, let’s average out spot prices at $50/lb. There are 2,000 lbs per tonne. So every year on average Niger’s total revenue from Uranium is:
3,000T × 2,000lbs x $50 = $300m/year.
According to the EIA, annual Uranium production costs for 3,000T are circa $213,300m.
Gross profits would be circa $76.7m/year
Uranium is the most valuable mineral that France takes out of Niger. And of the 14 countries that France has such relationships within Africa, Niger is one of the more resource-rich. If you run the numbers, therefore, you will see that France taking $ 500 billion out of Africa every year is impossible. If they could take out even just 10% of that figure, I would personally consider that surprising!
But what about the Monetary Agreements? Where 50% of the Foreign Exchange Reserves of 14 African nations are held in the French Treasury in Paris? The total forex reserves of those 14 countries are $12.584 billion. Ranging from the largest, Ivory Coast at $4.96 billion, through to the smallest, Niger at slightly less than $1m. 50% of that grand total of $12.584 billion is circa $ 6.3 billion. This means that France holds Six Billion Three Hundred Million US dollars in forex reserves for these 14 African countries. Or roughly 17% of Nigeria’s forex reserves. To put it in perspective. And just by the way, they are “reserves” which means they are accessible by the owners.
Furthermore, the combined GDP of those 14 African nations is $284.1 billion. Starting from the highest, Ivory Coast at $70 billion, to the lowest, Central African Republic (CAR) at $2.5 billion. For perspective again, that’s 59.5% of Nigeria’s GDP. So even if France somewhat managed to uproot, kidnap and airlift those 14 countries, they still won’t be able to take out $500 billion annually because it just simply isn’t there!
So, in her “France takes $ 500 billion out of Africa annually” position, Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao was just being sensationalist. Now, sensationalism based on falsehood does not help our cause and case in Africa. It also does not help the delicate and potentially explosive situation we find ourselves in Niger. Dr Quao and her ilk that deploy such tactics need to be made acutely aware of this.
That notwithstanding, her general idea is right. France and other foreign powers need to get out of Africa so we can finally create: An Africa of Africans, for Africans, by Africans.
Orjih is a Finance & Development Strategist, an MSME Specialist, and a former Assistant Country Director of the USADF.
