The TJN blog has a great article by Nick Shaxson on the need for France to transform its relationship with Africa. As he says:
Once again the latest chapter in one of the biggest, and most fascinating, stories about Africa's international relations has been almost entirely neglected by the English-speaking media. The French Secretary of State for Co-operation, Jean-Marie Bockel, has challenged his own president, Nicolas Sarkozy, to fulfil earlier promises of a "rupture" with the bad old ways of "Fran?ßafrique." As he said:
This "rupture" is taking its time to arrive. There are still too many private interests; too many intermediaries without clear utility; too many parallel networks to allow a clean, uncomplicated partnership of equals. The moment has come to . . . kill off these moribund practices and renew our ways of dialogue with Africans. The President will be in Africa at the end of February: that will be a good moment to do it.
Read Nick's analysis in full here. He's an Africa expert. I buy his argument.
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Yes, the things should improve in Africa. In our experience, in the French part of africa, the things are getting better.