Africa & Global Power

Abstract: France’s long-standing geopolitical influence in West Africa — rooted in colonial ties, military cooperation, and economic arrangements — has markedly declined in recent years. This decline has been accompanied by shifts in regional security partnerships, rising anti-French sentiment, and the emergence of alternative global actors, notably Russia, China, and Turkey. This article examines the causes of France’s waning influence, the actors filling the resulting geopolitical space, and the implications for West African states such as Nigeria. 1. Introduction France’s influence in West Africa was once underpinned by a combination of military presence, economic integration, and historically entrenched political networks commonly referred to as Françafrique (a term denoting France’s postcolonial sphere of influence). However, structural changes within the region and the global geopolitical environment have significantly weakened Paris’s capacity to assert influence com...