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There is what France is doing diplomatically to keep its positions in Africa – and so far it is holding up after the setbacks in the Sahel – there is what Paris is doing on the business front, with full discretion but with a lot of efficiency. Nobody screamed it from the rooftops, yet Egypt and the French Ministry of the Economy (the same one which is active in Morocco and Algeria) have locked a memorandum of understanding which opens the way for the giant French Alstom. There is a discussion of setting up 2 plants in the city of Alexandria to produce rolling stock and railway components. The merchandise is planned for the needs of the local market but also for the entire continent. Who stated that France has given up on its interests in Africa?
An offer in a region where demand is exploding
This investment is extremely strategic to the extent that a plethora of railway projects are in preparation or have been revealed in Africa to transport the raw materials which drive local industries or head to ports to be exported. The fact is that this powerful demand for railway vehicles, parts and components is not met by the African industrial fabric, so France has decided to set its pawns.
The factories will occupy an area of 125,453 m², including 36,421 m² dedicated to expansion projects in the future. One of the units will manufacture metro trains, light rail vehicles, monorail cars and mainline rolling stock. The other unit will make electrical components, systems and equipment, mainly panels and signalling but also wiring.
The products are intended for export to different countries, but the first units are reserved for line 6 of the Cairo metro. This agenda is part of a mega plan developed by Egypt for years to increase the level of its railway sector. With a project of this scale, Cairo will eventually become a leading player in rail transport in Africa, and France will earn stripes through the relationships of the “land of the pharaohs” on the continent.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has already received the modernization of existing rails, the installation of new circuits and the renewal of the entire train fleet. Thanks to this joint venture with the big name Alstom, Egypt will be capable of selling ultra-modern trains in Africa, where existing factories only produce wagons, parts and components.
Al-Sissi reunites with his great friend Macron
The personal ties between al-Sissi and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron have a lot to do with this avant-garde cooperation in Africa. Recall that in December 2020 the French head of state rolled out the red carpet for the Egyptian president, he even gave him with the highest French distinction, the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor, which had ulcerated associations for the defence of human rights…
Although they shouted that this signal honour was an extreme blow to democratic ideals, Paris did not care, and for good reason: the call of business is infinitely more powerful. Moreover, in November 2021 Macron will be awarded with a contract worth 876 million euros to provide the Cairo metro and maintain it for 8 years, a contract won by Alstom. Added to this are the two Mistral warships sold to Egypt by France, for an amount of 950 million euros.
Certainly, al-Sissi was unfaithful to Macron in June 2022 by selecting the German Siemens to install the line and the high-speed train, a huge contract worth several billion euros, but Paris and Cairo found each other.
President Macron did not keep his pledge to visit Africa every 6 months to defend the interests of the French, but ultimately the country’s economic diplomacy is doing well on its own; it is perhaps even preferable for the French executive to step back in such a tormented situation in Africa.
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