In Africa, Macron’s neoliberal turn has stripped France of the long-standing myth that it was somehow a more benevolent coloniser because of the cultural links it established with African elites. But what Macron wants observers to notice is that increasingly, French development aid in Africa has to be run by French businesses. Rather, Macron’s speeches put forward business activities and neoliberal values as French values that benefit the continent. Macron’s values, however, are the values of neoliberalism. Abroad, he wants French development policy to be driven by private initiatives.
