ABSTRACT
In late 2016, during the presidential campaign in the United States, the Republican candidate was said to have declared: “Most African countries should be recolonised for century because [Africans] do not understand leadership.” The capital of the biggest telecommunications company on the continent, South Africa’s MTN Group, is 61% controlled by non-local investors. Its compatriot, Bidvest – the largest diversified African group – is 54% in the hands of foreign shareholders. The most brutal denunciations of exploitation and “neo-colonialism” in Africa most often relate to the extractive industries and the presence of foreign militaries. Fears about the recolonisation of Africa take many forms: from the preponderance of Western languages in public schools, to the legacy of the CFA franc, to the Economic Partnership Agreements with Brussels and the multiplication of US military bases. To make economic progress and reach social emancipation on the continent, the watchword remains the same as it was 60 years ago: the involvement of civil society.
