France Bets on Investment and Culture to Rebuild Its Influence in Africa: Nigeria at the Heart of the New Strategy

Author: Hassan Ballawi

On July 24, 2026, the Africa Intelligence website revealed that teams from French President Emmanuel Macron are negotiating with Nigerian businessman and billionaire Mike Adenuga, one of Africa's richest individuals, to contribute to the funding of a new French institute in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, ahead of an anticipated visit by the French president to West Africa, during which he is expected to lay the foundation stone for this project, which Paris views as one of its most important cultural and diplomatic initiatives on the continent.

This project is not limited to establishing a new cultural center, but reflects a deeper shift in the philosophy of French diplomacy, which no longer views culture as an activity separate from the economy but as a tool of soft power associated with investment, development, and building influence. For this reason, the French state has increasingly relied on partnerships with major businessmen, economic institutions, and large companies to finance its cultural projects, making them more sustainable and transforming them into platforms for education, innovation, entrepreneurship, and building relations with economic elites and youth.

The choice of Nigerian businessman Mike Adenuga for this role stems from his prominent economic status, as he is among Africa's richest entrepreneurs and the founder of the telecommunications company Globacom, the second-largest telecommunications provider in Nigeria, along with Conoil, which operates in the oil and energy sector, as well as extensive investments in banking, real estate, and logistics, making him one of the most influential figures in the economy of West Africa.

The selection of Nigeria also reflects a new strategic direction in French policy toward the continent. After years of declining French influence in several Sahel countries, notably Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, Paris has begun to expand its interest in English-speaking African countries, led by Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Angola, without abandoning its traditional Francophonie space. This trend was embodied in the organization of the Africa Forward summit in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, as the first major French summit held in an English-speaking African country.

French interest in Nigeria arises from its status as the largest African country by population, the largest economy in West Africa, and one of the continent's most important consumer markets, as well as being the largest destination for French investments in sub-Saharan Africa. From this perspective, Paris believes that investing in soft power within Nigeria will yield long-term strategic benefits that exceed what can be achieved in environments suffering from continuous security and political turmoil.

Although Nigeria is not a Francophone country, as English is its official language, its geographical location places it surrounded by French-speaking countries such as Benin, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. Moreover, French is taught in many schools and universities, and a broad network of Alliance Française centers exists in major cities like Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Ibadan, with an estimated hundreds of thousands learning French, making Nigeria a significant future market for the spread of the French language in Africa.

Data also indicate that this file is managed directly by President Emmanuel Macron's team within the Élysée Palace, rather than solely through the ministries of Foreign Affairs or Culture, reflecting an approach Macron has adopted for years that integrates politics, economics, culture, and investment within a unified presidential vision, giving major projects a strategic dimension that transcends traditional administrative frameworks.

In this context, the role of the Africa France Impact Coalition (AFIC) is also highlighted, a network that includes more than forty top French and African businessmen, operating under the direct patronage of the Élysée. Notable investors in this coalition include Rodolphe Saadé, Patrick Pouyanné, Tony Elumelu, Aliko Dangote, and Abdessamad Rabii, along with other Nigerian and French economic figures aimed at supporting investment, education, culture, and entrepreneurship projects in Africa.

The French cultural work system abroad is managed through a comprehensive network that includes the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the French Institute (Institut français), which serves as the executive arm of cultural diplomacy, in addition to the globally spread Alliance Française network and French embassies that oversee the local implementation of cultural programs, with increasing private sector participation and funding from the French Development Agency and economic institutions for some major projects.

These developments reveal that Paris is seeking to redefine its instruments of influence in Africa, gradually shifting from a model historically associated with military and security presence to a new model based on investment, culture, education, and economic partnerships. They also reflect a French desire to expand its presence within English-speaking African countries and engage major African businessmen in building a new system of soft power, affording these projects a local character and reducing their dependence on direct government funding. From this perspective, the new French institute project in Abuja represents not merely a center for teaching the French language or organizing cultural activities but a part of a broader French strategy to rebuild its influence in Africa through the gateway of culture and investment during a time of rapid shifts in the balance of power within the continent.