Musings From Abroad

Anti-French agitations continue in Burkina Faso as group wants French Ambassador’s departure

Published

2 years ago

January 20, 2023

The wave of anti-French agitations in the West African sub-region has continued as hundreds of people in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, marched to demand the departure of the French ambassador to the country.

The protest was organised by the Pan-African Leaders Collective, a political group that includes organisations that support Captain Ibrahim Traore, in power since the end of September.

One of the demonstrators, Abdoul Karim Sawadogo said ”The French ambassador, we want him to go back, the soldiers in Kamboinsin, we all want them to go back. Let them free Burkina.”

Another demonstrator, Souleymane Sawadogo, goes further.

“We are Burkina Faso, an independent country. Burkina Faso is a sovereign country. We have decided, we want to lead this fight, the war we are currently waging, Burkina Faso has decided to lead the fight with good partners (editor’s note: Russia). And we feel that France is not the ideal partner to accompany us to the final victory”, he said.

There have been recent anti-French protests in some African countries. In 2022, the government in Gabon was forced to stop planned protests in May. There were also pockets of “anti-French” protests in South Africa in the same month.

In November 2022, French President Emmanuel Macron hinted that the country working on a new ‘roadmap’ that will guide its relations with the African continent, it will be “finalized within six months.”

Musings From Abroad

Brazilian meatpacker JBS invests $2.5 billion in Nigeria, builds six facilities

Published

40 minutes ago

November 22, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Brazilian meatpacker JBS says it has inked a memorandum of understanding with the Nigerian government for a $2.5 billion investment plan that will include the construction of six new plants in the African nation.

Three of the plants would deal in poultry, two in beef, and one in pork, according to a statement from JBS.

In accordance with the memorandum of understanding, JBS stated that it would develop a five-year investment plan in Nigeria, which would include budget estimates, feasibility studies, and an action plan for the development of the local supply chain.

The Nigerian government would then guarantee the sanitary, regulatory, and economic conditions required for the project’s viability, JBS continued.

Musings From Abroad

China’s Xi meets with Morocco’s Crown Prince

Published

52 minutes ago

November 22, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Morocco’s official media reports that Chinese President, Xi Jinping, visited Morocco briefly on Thursday.

According to Morocco’s MAP, Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan welcomed Xi in Casablanca. The visit demonstrated the close ties of camaraderie, collaboration, and solidarity between the Moroccan and Chinese peoples, it said.

China’s official broadcaster, CCTV, said that Xi and Hassan had a “cordial conversation” at the airport after being received by the Crown Prince and Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch.

After attending the G20 Summit in Brazil, Xi paid the visit.

In recent years, China has increased its investments in Morocco’s rail and infrastructure. Morocco is desirable for Chinese electric car battery manufacturers because of its proximity to Europe, free trade agreements with important EU and US markets, and an established automotive sector.

Morocco was chosen by Chinese EV battery company Gotion High Tech in June to establish Africa’s first gigafactory, which will cost $1.3 billion in total.