Vital lessons emerging as curtains descended yesterday on a historic 25th Africa-France Summit. Nice, the city at the crossroads of civilisations provided the appropriate setting for an Africa-France Summit with a difference. Thirty eight African Heads of State and Government responded to the clarion call from Nice for a new deal in the relations between peoples. While the absence of Madagascar, Zimbabwe and Sudan was obvious, that of Cote d’Ivoire and DR Congo was not anticipated. The first lesson that emerges from the Nice Summit was its departure from its tradition of an exclusive meeting grouping France and its former colonies in Africa. Jacob Zuma from South Africa, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan from Nigeria and many others gave the summit new regalia, a new whitewash that dimmed its former francophonie colourings. Another departure from previous images was the presence of economic operators and trade union leaders. Over two hundred French and African business magnates met in five separate workshops, transforming the Africa-France Summit into an economic hub. Themes pegged on legal dispositions favouring business, reinforcing competitiveness in business, access to financing, social and environmental responsibilities of enterprises, amongst others, placed the economy squarely on the table of the summit. By taking a distance from politics to the economy, albeit marginal, the Nice summit strove to reflect the spirit of the times with language affinity playing second fiddle to financial and economic realities. The presence of Nigeria, South Africa and others with larger markets is indicative of the preponderance of the economy over politics in the Nice rendezvous.

Frontline Role

Lesson two of the Nice Summit was the importance attached to the role of experience and wisdom in leadership. President Paul Biya’s frontline role in the summit is a tacit recognition of his pre-eminence within and beyond the continent. As a leader of a country referred to in political parlance as “an island of peace and stability”, President Paul Biya had much to offer to the Nice gathering. As prime speaker and co-chair of the first meeting in camera of Heads of State and Government, the Cameroon leader reflected the mood in the continent for a more robust role in world governance. After successfully organising the golden jubilee of Cameroon’s independence and Africa 21 conference in Yaounde, President Paul Biya assumed his leadership role among his peers. The recognition and honour bestowed on Cameroon and its leader in the Nice summit is a sterling barometer reading of our collective achievements as a nation during the New Neal era. President Paul Biya’s oft-quoted “diplomacy of peace” stands the nation in good stead worldwide and projects a positive image of Cameroon to a global audience. In his opening address to summit participants, French president Nicolas Sarkozy stressed that Africa deserved a permanent seat at the Security Council of the United Nations Organisation. The harmony of views on this subject and others between Presidents Paul Biya and Nicolas Sarkozy is a pointer to the maturity of the France-Cameroon partnership and its mutually beneficial team work at the international scene.

Achievements

The closing ceremony yesterday of the 25th Africa-France Summit provided an opportunity to highlight the achievements of the event. The President of the French Business Confederation (MEDEF) Laurence Parisot and the President of the International Organisation of Employers, Wiseman N’kuhlu gave a succinct account to the Heads of State and Government on the conclusions of the economic workshops before the final closing speech of the host President Nicolas Sarkozy. A press conference, in which Presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Paul Biya amongst others were key participants, threw more light on the achievements of the 25th Africa-France Summit.

In his opening remarks at the final press conference, President Paul Biya thanked the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy for the brilliant initiative, the frank deliberations and the strong French support for the demands of Africa to have a better representation at the United Nations Security Council.